Pirates of the Caribbean: In Tortuga
by IBegToDreamAndDiffer
Summary: Will Turner has spent the last two months in Tortuga, just waiting for Jack Sparrow to appear. Hopefully Jack needs a new crew-mate, even though Will doesn't know THAT much about manning a ship. He should have realised that Jack would welcome him aboard in a heart-beat. See warnings inside.
1. Chapter One

**PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN**

**IN TORTUGA**

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**Author's Note:**

**Pairing: **Will Turner/Jack Sparrow

**Warnings:** Explicit sexual content, graphic depictions of violence, pre-slash for the first few chapters

**Timeline: **Set after CotBP, disregards DMC and AWE

**Note [11/12/13]: **Now a multi-chapter story, due to semi-popular demand.

**Disclaimer: **Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to, um... Disney, I think. If it doesn't, let me know. I own nothing but the plot and make no money from this story.

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**Author's Note: **So... I'm not sure if anyone will actually read this story, given that the movies came out quite some time ago. But I was only thirteen when the first one did and had no idea what slash fanfiction was back then. Thus, when I finally discovered the beauty that is Will/Jack about three days ago, I decided to write one. If no one reads it, that's fine, but my muse demanded that I get it written. So here we go :)

{Dreamer}

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**Chapter One**

Less than a year ago, Will was disgusted by Tortuga; he was disgusted (and slightly terrified) of the pirates, the dishonourable men, the taverns and pubs and whores who sold themselves on every corner and in every alley they could. Now, after almost two months in port, it had become something he didn't even glance at as he went about his routine. Every night Will made the twenty minute walk from the blacksmith where he worked to _The Grubb_, a tavern where he drank and ate his nights away.

_The Grubb _was by the harbour, the perfect place for Will to take up his watch. He'd sit inside and down pints of rum, sometimes food when it didn't look too horrible, and every half hour he'd wander outside to see what ships had made their way in.

There were plenty to see; small boats with a captain and less than four or five crewman; boats bigger than even the _Interceptor_; but none of them were _his _ship... well, not _his ship_, just the one he was looking for; one done up all in black, including the sails. One that was captained by the pirate who had changed Will's life forever.

Every night stories of the _Black Pearl _reached the tavern Will haunted, and he made sure to only stray close enough to the men telling the stories to hear their words. Captain Jack Sparrow was insane, not one of them doubted that, but he was a bloody good pirate, and the _Pearl _performed marvellously for him, far better than she had for Barbossa. Will would smile when he heard about the navy ships- or fellow pirate ships- that Jack and his crew had swindled, and he'd move away once he heard where Jack and his men were.

Will sighed to himself as he thought about Jack and the _Black Pearl._ He'd come to Tortuga in the hopes of convincing Jack to let Will come aboard. He was done with a life on land; the sea called to Will every night, every _day_. It was like there was sea water flowing through the young man's veins instead of blood, and Will only ever felt content when he stood on the beach, the sand between his toes, staring out at the ocean.

And even then it just wasn't right; the ground beneath him didn't move, there were too many people and too much noise around him. He needed to be on a ship; the wood rocking beneath him as the boat ploughed through the waves, the sound of men rigging sails and fixing cannons the only noises for miles.

Will was brought from his thoughts when he walked into a wench who had her thin arms wrapped around a man- pirate, Will realised after spying the man's clothes- and he mumbled, 'Sorry,' before continuing down the street.

Sorry. _I'm sorry_. The only two words he'd left Elizabeth before disappearing. He'd wanted to write more; had wanted to explain to Elizabeth why he could no longer call Port Royal his home. He needed the ocean and the _Black Pearl_. Jack was right when he'd said that pirate blood flowed through Will's veins. After their adventure, Will could think of little else but Jack and his ship.

Elizabeth would understand, as soon as she read those two simple words. She'd commented on Will staring off at the sea, about how all their conversations eventually led back to Jack Sparrow. She had known that Will wanted to leave and was no longer satisfied with being a blacksmith. Elizabeth, too, could think of little else but their adventure on the high seas. But she was a governor's daughter, and she belonged in a fancy house somewhere with a husband who didn't dream about stealing treasure and a man with Kohl-rimmed eyes.

Shaking that thought from his head, Will pushed his way into _The Grubb_, expertly moving through the throng of men and women. He made his way to the end of the bar and snagged a stool when one of the drunkards toppled backwards, his snores reaching Will's ears before he'd even hit the floor.

'Evenin', laddie,' the woman who owned the bar and brothel upstairs called when Will sat.

Will gave her a tired smile. 'Good evening, Tabby,' he responded. 'Can I get the usual?'

'You be wantin' any grub, Willie?' Tabby asked as she went to pour him a large mug of rum.

'What've you got?' Will asked.

'Some meat, some 'tatoes that ain't too bad,' Tabby said, sliding Will's drink to him.

The distinct smell of watered-down rum made Will's lips twitch upward. Rum reminded him of Jack, which was the only reason Will had started drinking it. He'd rarely touched alcohol in his life back at Port Royal after seeing what it did to his master, but rum helped him sleep at night, and it was what Jack drank, so...

Will took a large gulp, letting the familiar taste rush down his throat. It'd disgusted him before, but drinking rum daily had made Will develop a taste for it.

'Yeah, bring us a plate,' Will finally said and reached into his pocket. He tossed Tabby a few coins and they were scooped up by her husband, Doyce, who ran the pub and brothel with her.

Tabby clapped Will on the back, almost sending him into the wooden bar. She was a large woman, and Will knew that she could take on any man who dared to rough-up her tavern. He'd seen her throw a fair few pirates out in his two months.

By the time Tabby returned with his food, Will had finished off his drink and signalled for another.

'Wantin' tah drown yer sorrows tonight, Willie?' Tabby asked.

'Might as well,' Will shrugged, dragging the plate and fork towards him. The meat was more black than anything else, the potatoes watery and yellow, but food was food, and this was all Will could really afford.

'Still waitin' fer yer pirate?' Tabby then questioned, giving him another drink.

Will just nodded. His questions about the _Black Pearl_- and Jack- hadn't gone unnoticed. Anyone who stayed in Tortuga for more than a day knew what Will was waiting for.

''E'll turn up sooner or la'er, laddie,' Tabby told him. 'Jus' wait 'round fer a bi'.'

'Nothing else I can do,' Will shrugged. He busied himself with his food and rum, letting his eyes wander over the patrons of _The Grubb_. Most were pirates or men who worked in port- swilling drinks, stuffing their faces with half-stale bread. More than half had a woman of some kind on their laps, and there were even two or three with men.

Will blushed at the sight and turned away. His mum hadn't really been a good Christian, having taken herself a pirate husband, and Will had only led his life under the codes Governor Swann and Elizabeth had taught him. That didn't mean he believed in God, but it _did _mean that he'd heard a fair bit about sodomites.

Pirates only lived under the Pirate Code, and even that was often skewed to fit the captain's fancy. But Will shouldn't have been surprised that most- if not all- pirates didn't even bat an eye at sodomites. It was why Will had let his own thoughts about Jack run free, rather than try to tie them up and throw them far, far back into his own mind. He liked Jack- he'd always liked Jack, even back when he was a dirty pirate who wanted to use Will. But now, after watching Jack fall off the tower and sail away on the _Pearl_, Will realised that his feelings for Jack went a bit... deeper, than mere friendship.

That didn't mean that Will would do anything about it if- when, _when_- he met up with Jack. Well, not unless Jack fancied that kind of thing. Despite what Jack said, Will wasn't a eunuch, and he knew how to get what he wanted.

Will finished off his second rum, ordered another, and scraped the last of his food into his mouth. Tabby took the plate away and Will swirled his rum around, staring at the dark liquid as his mind wandered.

The scrape of a stool against the wooden floor alerted Will to the fact that he wasn't alone, and when a firm hand slapped onto his shoulder Will had a dagger drawn and pressed against the person's throat even before he'd blinked.

His eyes widened when he saw who was sitting beside him, and he almost dropped his weapon.

'Jack?'

'Will, my lad, yer wouldn' cut this pretty face, would ya?' Jack Sparrow asked with wide, Kohl-lined eyes. His teeth- half of them capped gold- were shining bright in the murky tavern light, and Will just continued to stare.

He was the same old Jack; dark hair twisted into dreadlocks and wrapped in thread and beads, his captain's hat only just hiding a red scarf, his clothes flamboyant, half-open, and dirty. The cheeky smile was the same, the face warm and tanned, the eyes dark and brilliant...

'Jack!' Will shouted again. This time he _did _drop his dagger, and then he threw his arms around the pirate, tugging a flailing Jack in for a bruising hug.

'Knew ye'd miss me,' Jack chuckled into Will's ear. His warm breath made the younger man shiver, but Will ignored it in exchange for holding Jack just a bit longer. He finally drew back, smiling brightly at the pirate, and Jack said, 'What are yeh doin' here, lad? Ain't yeh got a wife waitin' at home?'

Will sighed and turned to grab his drink, not missing the way Jack's eyes widened as he knocked the entire thing back.

'Easy, lad, wouldn' wanna get drunk and 'ave me take advantage, would yah?'

Will snorted and dropped the mug. 'You'd take advantage of anyone, whether they were sober or not,' he stated.

Jack laughed and smacked his shoulder again. 'That's my boy,' he grinned and turned to Tabby, who was smiling widely at them from halfway down the bar. 'Oi, where's me drink?' he demanded.

'Where're yah manners?' Tabby countered, but poured them both a rum each and handed them over. Will reached for his pocket, but Jack dropped the coins into Tabby's large hand before he could.

'Thanks,' Will said and wrapped a hand around his new rum.

'No worries,' Jack replied. He eyed Will over the top of his mug. 'What're _you_ drinkin' rum for?' he then asked, taking a large swallow.

'It grows on you, after a while,' Will admitted.

'A lotta things do that,' Jack winked. Will grinned. 'So what are you doin' here, William? Didn' answer me the firs' time, which is rude, I might add.'

Will sighed and put his rum down. He re-sheathed his dagger, which had still been lying on the bar, and took another drink before answering. 'I left,' he stated.

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Left?' he echoed.

'Yeah, left,' Will nodded. 'I couldn't... it wasn't...' he frowned as he struggled, trying to figure out how best to explain why he hadn't been able to stay in Port Royal.

'Pirate blood get the better of yeh?' Jack finally supplied, and Will nodded. 'Told yeh it would, mate,' Jack continued. 'Yer dad was a pirate, and his dad 'fore him, probably. Ain't no man can ignore a call to the sea.'

'So I've discovered,' Will said. He sipped his rum and leaned against the bar, keeping his eyes on Jack.

'How long 'ave you been in Tortuga?' Jack asked.

'Almost two months,' Will answered.

The older man nodded slowly before saying, 'And Miss Elizabeth?'

'Port Royal,' Will said. 'At least, I'm assuming she's still there.'

Jack's eyes narrowed slightly and he took off his hat, placing it gently on the bar. 'Didn' come with yeh?' he queried.

'I didn't ask,' Will replied. 'I just... left.' He shrugged and glanced down at his drink. 'She'll know why I had to. She wanted me to talk about it, every time she saw me staring at the sea. But I didn't.'

'Not an easy thing to talk about, mate,' Jack told him. 'Call o' the sea's like that. Gets under yeh skin.'

'Yeah,' Will nodded. His skin still itched, even now. Standing on the beach, or dipping his feet into the water, wasn't the same as actually being aboard a ship. 'So what are you doing in Tortuga?' he decided to change he subject. He didn't want to talk about Elizabeth; about how his love for her had waned from an all-encompassing thing to a soft, warm glow in his gut. He loved Elizabeth and he always would; but he wasn't _in love _with her.

A grin lit up Jack's face and he waved a hand about, almost toppling off his stool as he did. 'Food and wenches, William, food and wenches!' he shouted at the top of his lungs. Of course, nobody even glanced their way. 'The crew were about ta mutiny, I think. They were stuck at sea fer a good month and got sick o' mouldy cheese and stale bread. Needed fresh stuff and warm bodies.' He winked at Will and downed his rum before making a grab for Will's, only for the younger man to easily push him aside and clutch the mug to his chest.

'Get your own,' Will told him and took a long drag, licking his lips just to rub it in.

But instead of pouting, like Will had seen him do in the past, Jack's eyes zeroed in on the blacksmith's mouth. Will shivered minutely as Jack's eyes, already dark from the Kohl and poor-lighting, darkened even further.

_Maybe I'm not insane_, Will thought, _maybe there _is _something between us_.

Jack shook his head and the dark, hungry look was gone, replaced with a drunk grin and bright eyes. 'That's my Will,' he crowed and clapped the boy hard on the shoulder before calling for another drink. 'Anyway,' he said when it had been delivered, turning back to Will. Will tried not to notice the trail of rum that dribbled down Jack's chin and neck. 'Gotta get some supplies for _Pearl_, and the men gotta get the lust outta their systems. We'll be shovin' off tomorrow night.'

Will felt his heart drop and nodded jerkily. Right... so Jack would be leaving soon. Will hadn't actually given much thought to what he'd say to Jack when they met up again. He'd been too busy worrying about the pirate, and too busy thinking about how amazing it would be just to _see _Jack again.

Jack noticed. Of course he noticed; despite his general behaviour, he wasn't an idiot.

'What's with the look, mate?' Jack said. 'Yeh not ready to leave by tomorrow night?'

Will's head snapped up so fast he was amazed his neck didn't snap. 'What?' he blurted.

Jack grinned at him. 'Yeh really think I'm gonna leave yeh, now that I got yeh back?' Jack asked. ''m not an idiot, Will. Yer comin' with me.'

'I... I am?' Will asked, voice breathless, heart jumping. It couldn't be this easy, could it?

'Will, I asked yeh last time if yeh wanted to come with me,' Jack said, 'and yeh made the wrong choice. I knew yeh'd eventually wanna set sail, s'why I make port here every month or two. Knew I'd run into yeh eventually.'

'So... you-you want me to come with you?' Will asked hopefully. 'Aboard the _Pearl_?'

''Course I do!' Jack shouted, waving both arms about, like Will thinking anything else was stupid. 'Need a first mate,' he continued, 'or a cabin boy.'

'I can be a blacksmith,' Will piped in, too excited to take offence to the cabin boy suggestion. 'I can fix your crew's weapons, maybe even make some more, if I get a good smithy going on board. I'll be careful, I swear.'

'I know yeh will, mate,' Jack laughed. He swallowed down some rum and patted Will again. 'Yeh need to go get anythin'?'

'No,' Will shook his head. He gestured to the bag he had at his feet, and Jack spied at least four or five swords tied to the bag with rope. 'I carry everything I own all the time.'

'Good,' Jack nodded. 'Yeh can stay on-board _Pearl _with me tonight, I'll give yeh a proper tour tomorrow when the crew's still busy.' He grinned brightly at Will and leaned closer, noting that Will's breathing stuttered and his eyes widened. 'Ready to be a pirate, Mr Turner?'

Will blinked rapidly before smiling. 'I became a pirate the first time I met you, Captain.'

Jack grinned.

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**Author's Note: **If this story garners any actual fans, I'll write more. I really want to write about Will and Jack's adventures in pirating, and I want to introduce Elizabeth and Norrington into the story at some point. But if nobody actually wants to read it I won't bother.

So let me know what you think :)

Cheers,

{IBegToDreamAndDiffer}


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Jack had ten rums to Will's five... maybe more, maybe less, Will stopped being able to actually see the mugs after his fourth one. He wasn't exactly a light weight, but he'd only really been drinking for two months. He was sure that Jack had popped into the world with a bottle of rum in his hand, so he had an unfair advantage.

'Jack... _Jaack_...' Will slurred as they walked along. Well, Will was _trying _to walk, and Jack was doing his whole drunken-swagger thing that he did even when sober... if he ever was sober... which Will doubted... oh, the sea air felt good on his skin. 'S'good, sea air, s'good,' Will decided to say aloud, just in case Jack didn't realise how truly magnificent the fresh sea air was.

''Course it is, mate,' Jack said, voice only slightly slurred. It was hard to tell the difference between drunk-Jack and sober-Jack, especially when Will could barely stay on his feet.

'Missed you, Jack,' Will mumbled before burying his face in Jack's neck... he was sure it was Jack's neck. There were thick braids of hair falling over his face, and he could feel Jack's jaw moving as he laughed at Will's inebriation. There was also the distinct smell of sweat, dirt, and rum. 'Always dirty,' Will slurred, 'don' yeh ever... bath with... water 'n stuff?'

'I don' see the need to bathe every day, William,' Jack replied. 'Wha's the point when yeh jus' gonna get dirty again, eh?'

'Aye!' Will shouted and felt Jack wince. 'Wha'?'

'Stop shoutin', lad,' Jack told him. Will felt a strong arm wrap around his waist, and stumbled as Jack tried to righten him. 'Yeh gonna regret this in the mornin', Willie,' Jack chuckled.

'Nah 'm no',' Will grumbled. He blinked his eyes open and frowned, looking around. When had they left _The Grubb_? 'No' gonna 'member,' he added.

Jack laughed again and Will swayed, almost tipping over and going right into the ocean. He wondered if Jack would dive in and save him, like he had with Elizabeth. Jack liked Will better, right? He'd save him.

'Yeh _are _gonna remember,' Jack said, ''cause I'm gonna take great joy in remindin' yeh that we got tossed out 'cause _you_ tried to stab a pirate in the neck.'

''E touched you!' Will shouted, and Jack just smirked as he looked at him. ''E shouldna touched ya, Jack,' Will continued. He shook his head to back up his point, and then groaned when the entire world tilted.

'And why's that, young William?' Jack questioned.

Will fell silent and glanced down. Huh, they were walking on wood, that's what that sound was. He looked back up and a grin stretched over his face as he spotted the _Black Pearl_. She really was beautiful, Will decided, especially with the ink-black sky behind her, the stars shining bright and the moon hanging there, larger than anything Will had seen before.

Jack squeezed Will's hip and Will yelped, trying to back away. But he was too drunk to walk, let alone move gracefully, and ended up tipping over. He hit the wharf with a thud and groaned, laying his head against the cool wood. It was wet and oily and Will frowned in annoyance.

Suddenly Jack appeared and Will blinked. Jack was crouched beside him, head tilted to once side, an amused smirk stretched across his face. 'Yeh alright there, Willie?'

'Stop callin' me that,' Will grunted.

'What, only barmaids allowed to?' Jack asked.

'Hate that name,' Will muttered. 'Even... even William's b-better.' He hiccuped at the end, and then groaned again when the action made his head feel fuzzy.

'Ar'right, William,' Jack said and grabbed Will's coat. He easily dragged the younger man to his feet, and then slung one of Will's arms over his shoulders. Will felt his hand connect with something and frowned as he twisted around, trying to see what it was.

'Why've you go' my bag?' he demanded.

''Cause you're too drunk to carry it, mate,' Jack replied. 'Jus' let me get yeh aboard _Pearl_, eh? Then you can pass out and talk all abou' the sea air and the sodomites.'

'Sodomites?' Will questioned.

'Yeh told me tha' sodomites should be allowed to love each other if they fancy,' Jack explained. 'Said it shouldn' be punished.'

'Did I?' Will grinned. 'Damn right they shouldn't!' Jack laughed. 'Was wrong with men lovin' men, Jack?' Will then questioned. He was vaguely aware of walking up a long, heavy board of wood, but didn't pay much attention.

'Nothin' wrong with it, lad,' the pirate replied. 'Just didn' think yeh'd go fer that, what with Miss Elizabeth and all.'

'Don' love 'er,' Will mumbled. 'Thought I did, but I didn'.'

Jack's eyebrows climbed at that, but he decided to question Will more when he had him lying down. A drunk Will Turner was a danger to all, Jack had discovered. The boy didn't know how to keep his opinions to himself after a few mugs of rum.

'Here we go, Will, we'll get yeh into a nice warm bed, eh?' Jack said as he finally got Will onto the _Black Pearl's _deck.

He loosened his hold on Will now that there wasn't a danger of him falling into the water, and Will swayed a bit before looking around. 'A ship!' he shouted and grinned at Jack.

Jack chuckled, but smiled warmly as he said, 'Yeh, William, a ship.' Jack had to admit that Will was kind of adorable when he was excited about something. And he just knew that the younger man would blush all shades of red and huff in indignation if Jack said it aloud. Which was why Jack planned to do so as soon as possible. '_Black Pearl, _yeh remember her?' he said.

'_Pearl_,' Will grinned drunkenly and stumbled over to the side. Jack hurried after him; blasted boy didn't know when to stay still. ''Ello, love,' Will said as he stroked the _Pearl_'s railing. Jack was the only person who ever did that, as he was the only person who could hear- or so he claimed- _Pearl _speak.

But there Will was, stroking the wood like it was a wench- _or man_, Jack's mind supplied- and grinning at her.

'You're beautiful, aren't ya?' Will hummed. ''ave you been takin' care of Jack, _Pearl_? 'Cause I'd be upset if you weren't...'

'She's been takin' good care o' me, Will,' Jack chimed in. The blacksmith blinked at the railing, then at Jack, then at the railing again.

'Good,' he finally smiled and patted _Pearl _fondly. 'S'good, Jack.'

'Good,' Jack echoed. He swayed over to Will and tugged on the sleeve of his coat. 'Now come on, lad, let's get yeh into bed.'

'What bed?' Will mumbled as he was pulled along. 'S'long as it's a bed 'n not a floor, m'happy.'

Jack frowned and unlocked his personal quarters, pushing Will in before he stepped in himself. 'You been sleepin' on many floors, William?' he questioned.

It took Will a while to answer, what with him meandering about the cabin, picking up objects, going through Jack's clothes, and even licking an apple that was sitting on the desk in the corner. 'Floors!' he suddenly huffed and tossed the apple aside. 'Floors are uncom... uncomf... uncomfir-itable,' he slurred.

'Yeah,' Jack just hummed.

'Sleepin' in the... the smithy,' Will mumbled. Jack turned from where he'd been lighting an oil lamp, and chuckled when he saw that Will was sitting on the trunk at the end of his bed, trying to tug a boot off. 'An' _The Grubb _an' even an alley, once,' Will admitted. 'I was drunk.' Suddenly he laughed, his boot landing on the floor. 'Like now!' he declared proudly.

'Yeah, like now,' Jack smiled in amusement. 'Never thought I'd see William Turner drunk.'

'I like rum,' Will said and flopped onto the bed. He groaned and rolled onto his front, rubbing his face against Jack's pillows. 'Rum reminds me o' you,' he admitted, sounding sleepy. 'Smells like you.'

Jack's eyebrows jumped and he wandered over to the bed, dropping to sit beside the younger man. 'Does it?' he asked, even though he knew the answer; he always smelled like rum.

'Mm,' Will hummed into the pillows. 'Like the way you smell.'

Jack barked out a laugh and shook his head. 'Oh, William,' he sighed in amusement, 'you're gonna regret all this in the mornin', luv.'

'Not,' Will muttered stubbornly.

'Yeh will,' Jack said. He knew that if Will remembered any of this- and Jack would make sure that the lad did- then he'd blush red, stutter his way through an explanation, and try to hide somewhere. Too bad for him that Jack knew the _Pearl _better than the back of his own hand. 'Just sleep, mate,' Jack finally said and patted Will on the arse- just 'cause he could. Will laughed and wiggled his hips, and Jack had to stifle a groan. Gods, this boy was gonna be the death of him. ''Ere, let me help yeh,' Jack said.

He was a pirate first and foremost, so he did cop a bit of a feel of both Will's rather pert arse and his junk when he helped Will from first his boots, then his trousers and shirt. He left the boy in his drawers, only so that young Will didn't have a heart attack when he woke up to find himself naked in Jack's bed.

At the end of the ordeal, Will was asleep, Jack was hard, and the pirate knew for certain that Will wasn't a eunuch.

'Me and you are gonna get well acquainted, luv,' Jack told Will's lower half before covering it. The boy just huffed in his sleep and mumbled Jack's name. Jack grinned and stumbled to his feet, going over to the other side of the cabin to find another bottle of rum. He'd finish it off before dropping into bed beside Will; telling the crew about the boy could wait until tomorrow.

{oOo}

The first thing Will was aware of upon waking was the absolute throbbing in his head. He felt like his brain was trying to escape through his ears, and perhaps his nose, too. Secondly was the disgusting taste in his mouth. Third was the fact that he was in a bed, the floor beneath him was rocking, and Captain Jack Sparrow was sprawled out beside him.

'Jack!' he yelped and scrambled from the bed, only to tumble onto the cold wooden floor, the blankets twisted around his legs. He groaned as his head gave a hearty throb and clutched his temples. There was a snort from the bed, and Will carefully cracked his eyes open.

'What're yeh doin' on the floor, luv?' Jack mumbled sleepily.

'Fell,' Will grunted and rubbed his eyes. 'My head hurts.'

''Course it does, yeh drank five mugs o' rum,' Jack yawned. 'Get back in bed, crew won't be up an' alive for a few hours yet.'

'Bed,' Will mumbled before sitting straight. 'Why was I in your bed?'

'Yeh passed out las' night,' Jack told him. He flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes, clearly intending to fall back asleep. 'Figured it were easier to let yeh sleep it off in here then try an' drag yeh below deck.'

'Right...' Will said slowly and looked down at himself. 'And I'm naked because...?'

'_Almost _naked, lad,' Jack corrected. He twisted to look at the younger man, not bothering to hide the fact that he was leering. Will wanted to pull the blankets over his chest, but knew that Jack would just tease him, so he blushed and stayed still instead. 'Made yeh comfortable, I did,' Jack grinned brightly. 'Yeh can think me later.'

'Yeah, right,' Will muttered and rubbed his eyes again. 'How do you make the headache go away?' he demanded.

Jack sighed and looked at him. 'Haven't come across a hangover since arrivin' in Tortuga?'

Shaking his head, Will said, 'Not really. I only drink enough to help me sleep.'

'Tha' should go away, now that yer on a ship,' Jack told him. 'I can never sleep on land. Too solid.'

Will just nodded. He knew what Jack meant; he'd barely been sleeping since he'd stepped off the boat that had brought him to Tortuga. He glanced around, finally taking in his surroundings. 'Where am I?' he questioned.

'Aboard the _Black Pearl_,' Jack said. He was sitting up now, apparently realising that Will wasn't going back to sleep. 'Captain's quarters.'

Will blushed as Jack wandered across the cabin and towards the dresser against the other wall. Jack was only wearing trousers, which was the least amount of clothing Will had ever seen on the older man. He spied a few tattoos and scars on Jack's back and arms before the captain pulled on a shirt, what looked like a scarf, and a dark leather band that he used to cover the "P" that had been branded onto his arm.

He tugged some stockings on before going for his boots, and said, 'Might as well get some breakfast, now that yer up. We got some bread and chicken aboard tha's not too bad, if yeh don' wanna go ashore.'

'Uh... n-no, we'll go ashore,' Will swallowed thickly, having finally looked away. 'If that's okay with you?' he added.

Jack frowned. 'Why wouldn' it be okay with me?'

'Well... you're my captain, right?' Will asked. 'Shouldn't I ask you for permission?'

Jack stared at him for a good minute before grinning. He clapped Will on the back, and Will blushed as he said, 'Yer gonna be an infamous pirate, Will me lad. Now get dressed and let's get some food.'

Will scrambled to his feet and back into his clothing, deciding that his trousers and shirt weren't too greasy to re-wear. Jack was still covered in dirt, and Will's clothing looked pristine compared to the pirate's.

_Hmm_, Will thought as he tucked his shirt in, _I suppose I can't think like that anymore. I'm a pirate, too_.

'Come on!' Jack huffed impatiently from the doorway. Will hadn't even realised that Jack had opened the door, letting sunlight spill into the cabin.

'I'm coming,' Will growled and tugged his boots on before walking out onto the deck.

He thought he heard Jack mutter, 'You will be,' but the other man just smiled brightly at him when he looked back. Jack led Will across the _Pearl,_ and Will slid his fingers along the wood before following Jack down the gangplank and onto the dock.

The bright light made his head ache, but Will was able to forgot it in favour of watching Jack. He couldn't believe that the pirate was here, in Tortuga, with Will. And, if he remembered correctly, Jack had told him that there was a spot on the _Pearl _for the blacksmith. He remembered grinning and hugging Jack again, and then there was rum, and some type of food Jack talked him into eating, and more rum, and...

Will frowned. He vaguely remembered something about holding a dagger to some pirate's throat, and a conversation about sea air, but other than that the night was hazy, and in most cases just completely dark.

Will bit his lip as he followed Jack up into the streets of Tortuga. He hoped he hadn't embarrassed himself. Passing out, drunk, in the captain's bed was bad enough.

Tortuga was a lot quieter in the light of day; only a few places were open, and even fewer people wandered about the streets. There were still men drinking in various corners, and Will spied more than one prostitute pleasuring men- and even women- in alleys.

Jack seemed to know where he was going, and eventually they walked into a pub that was open. There were a few people eating what looked like fruit- actual fruit!- and Will's mouth watered as Jack led him up to the counter.

'Missy!' the captain shouted, twisting this way and that. 'Oi, Missy, where the 'ell are ya?!'

'Stop shoutin', you bastard!' came a female voice. A small woman, older than Will and Jack, wandered out from the back of the shop. She grinned when she saw Jack. 'Jack Sparrow, what the hell are you doin' in my shop?'

'Lookin' for some fine cuisine,' Jack grinned cheekily.

'Get off,' the woman- Missy, Will assumed- laughed. She then looked at Will himself, who smiled weakly. 'And who's this pretty young thing?' Missy asked, grinning at him.

Will scowled. 'I'm not pretty,' he denied, but Jack talked over him.

'This 'ere is William Turner, me new cabin boy,' Jack said. He tugged Will closer, and Will could do nothing but sigh as he was presented for Missy's inspection.

'Yeah, alright, I see how you'd like this one,' Missy finally nodded. 'Got a bit of fire in him, eh? Not just a pretty face.'

'I'm not pretty!' Will snapped again, but Missy and Jack just laughed.

'Sure you ain't, luv,' Jack grinned at him.

'Ooh, already callin' him luv, eh?' Missy snickered. 'You're in trouble, Jack Sparrow.'

'Don't I know it,' Jack replied, turning a warm smile on Will.

Will had no idea what was going on. Jack had suggested that he could be a cabin boy last night, but Will had no idea what a cabin boy _was_. Was it like a first mate? Or just odd jobs? Or... Will felt warmth pool in his stomach. Maybe _cabin boy _was a term for something that involved less clothes.

Well... Will definitely wouldn't dislike that. As long as he could be a blacksmith, too. And as long as it only involved him and _Jack _naked.

Will had been so lost in thought that he didn't realise Jack had ordered food for them until the captain made him sit at a small table in the back. He blinked back to himself and looked around. 'Uh...'

'Gettin' us some fresh fruit and some eggs, Willie,' Jack told him. ''aven't had any eggs for months.'

'Don't call me that,' Will scowled.

Jack took his hat off and pressed it to his chest. 'Sorry, _William_, didn' mean to upset yerself. My humblest apologies.'

Will couldn't help but laugh, and Jack winked, bowed, and slapped his hat back on.

'We need to get yeh a hat,' Jack said suddenly, eyes roaming over Will's hair and face. 'An' maybe do somethin' with yer hair.'

Will frowned and tugged on the few strands he could see. He'd been keeping his hair tied back, like he usually did. It had grown a bit longer since he'd left Port Royal, but it was nowhere near Jack's length.

'What's wrong with my hair?' he demanded.

'Nothin', luv,' Jack said, and the second word made Will's heart skip a bit. 'Just reckon yeh could do with a few braids, maybe some beads...' he nodded to himself, 'yeh, you'd be able to pull off that look.'

'Not all of us are as... flamboyant as you, Jack,' Will told him. 'I really don't think I'd look good with... braids.'

Jack pouted. 'Yeh you would, William! I have excellent taste an' if I say it works, it works.'

'I think you're still drunk,' Will retorted.

'I'm always drunk, mate,' Jack smirked at him, 'yeh'll get used to it after a couple months on the _Pearl_.'

'Trust me, I always assume that you're drunk,' Will said. 'It's safer that way.'

Jack laughed and slouched back in his seat, legs spread wide and one arm flung over the back. Will gulped as he let his eyes wander over Jack's shirt- it was split open from his neck to halfway down his chest- as well as his groin, his legs, and back up again. Jack was staring out the windows, so Will let himself indulge until he saw Jack turn back to him.

'So...' Will cleared his throat, and Jack raised his eyebrows, 'where are we going after we shove off?'

'Dunno,' Jack shrugged. 'Most o' the crew probably spent their booty las' night. Got expensive tastes, my lads. Heard somethin' about a merchant ship headin' out of a port a few days' sail from 'ere, we'll probably sail up that way and 'ave a look. Then there's always the odd navy ship that I like sinking,' Jack said, giving Will a weird look.

'What?' Will asked.

Jack sighed and shifted until he was sitting straight, and then rested his arms on the table. 'Look, William, I know yeh can hold yer own in a fight,' Jack said, 'but bein' a pirate is different to what we did when we went after Barbossa.'

'I know that,' Will said.

'Do ya?' Jack questioned. ''Cause aboard my ship, we attack other pirates and merchant vessels and any navy ship we come across. If yer not willin' to spill some blood, maybe yer not ready to be a pirate.'

Will chewed on his bottom lip, looking down as he answered. 'I'm prepared to do that, Jack,' he answered honestly. 'As long as I don't have to kill anyone that doesn't deserve it. I know that any navy ship we attack will fight back. And I'll fight and kill to protect myself and the crew.' He looked up, holding Jack's dark eyes with his own. 'You have my word, Captain, that I won't fail to help protect the _Pearl_.'

They stared at each other for at least two minutes before Jack nodded.

'Good,' he said. 'I don' spill blood unnecessarily, lad, but when it needs to be done, I get it done.'

'I know,' Will said. 'Believe me, I know.' He sighed and leaned back, eyes roaming over the other patrons. 'In Port Royal,' he said softly, and felt Jack's eyes on him, 'everyone knew that I'd run off with a pirate. Norrington pardoned me, but they still knew. People stared at me in the street, mothers told their children not to come with me, and everyone called me a filthy pirate behind my back.' He smiled slightly, eyes drifting back to the captain. 'I'm already a pirate, Jack,' he told the man, 'it won't be difficult for me to do what you ask.'

Jack continued to stare at him, even after he'd nodded, accepting Will's word. Missy brought out two plates of food- fruit and eggs, like Jack had promised- as well as water for Will and rum for Jack.

Will groaned at the smell of alcohol and Jack grinned widely as he took a large gulp.

'Get some food into yeh, Will,' Jack told him. 'It helps, promise.'

'I'm supposed to take the word of a pirate?' Will questioned, a smile on his lips.

'Take the word of yeh captain, then,' Jack shrugged.

'Aye, aye, Captain,' Will immediately saluted and spooned eggs into his mouth.

Jack grinned. 'I'm gonna like havin' you aboard, William.'

{oOo}

Will's head had finally stopped throbbing by the time he and Jack left the tavern. It was later than Will had thought, and the sun was already hanging high overhead; he and Jack had slept the morning away.

He blushed when he remembered that he'd passed out in Jack's bed. Jack hadn't said anything about it, but Will just knew that he would, in time. Jack wasn't the kind of man to let that go, especially if it meant he could embarrass Will and make him blush even more; Will had learnt that from the short time they'd sailed together.

The docks were already busy, and there were more people bustling about as Will and Jack made their way back to the _Pearl_. A few crew members were aboard the black ship, and they threw Will some looks, but didn't say anything as they got about their work.

'Right, time to give yeh the tour, eh?' Jack said as he and Will stood on the deck. He clapped his hands together and grinned like a small child, making Will smile in return. 'So, yeh already know where the Captain's cabin is,' Jack said, grinning slyly at him.

Will blushed. 'Yes, about that,' he mumbled and cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry about passing out in your bed, Jack. You could have just kicked me out, I'd have been happy on the floor.'

Jack snorted. 'I know, mate. Yeh told me all about your adventures in floor-sleeping.'

'I-I did?' Will stuttered, his cheeks heating up.

'Oh, yeah,' the captain grinned. 'And about how mighty fine the sea air is, and how much yeh missed me.'

'Oh,' Will practically squeaked. He stared at the deck beneath them, suddenly finding it fascinating, and Jack laughed.

'Don' worry, lad, I've been told by plenty o' people that I'm a fascinatin' man. I'm always missed.'

'Right,' Will just nodded, not wanting to linger on the matter. 'Did I, uh... say anything else?' he asked, hoping the answer was no.

'Nah,' Jack said, and Will breathed a sigh of relief, 'jus' about how sexy yeh found me.'

'What?!' Will half-shouted, drawing the attention of the few crewmen around them. He blushed furiously while Jack laughed. 'Jack!' he hissed.

'Just kiddin', mate, just kiddin',' Jack said. Will sighed again. ''Course,' Jack whispered, leaning closer. Will's breath caught in his throat. 'If yeh ever _do _wanna tell me how appealin' I am, I'm all ears.' Jack winked and then shouted, 'Down below, William!' and dragged Will below deck.

{oOo}

'Can yeh set up shop here?' Jack asked, waving wildly at the room around them.

Will nodded. It was almost as big as the crew's quarters, and Will could already imagine fixing up weapons, and even making his own, when he'd got it outfitted with what he needed. He'd have to be careful, of course, to make sure that he didn't set the _Black Pearl _on fire. But he'd been a blacksmith since he was a kid, and he was confident in his skills.

'This is great, Jack, thank you,' Will beamed. Jack smiled back at him. 'So, uh... I suppose I should get my things and find a bunk?' Will said. He missed the way Jack's face fell at the suggestion, and when he looked up Jack was all smiles again.

'Yeah,' the captain just nodded, 'a'right. Gotta introduce yeh to the crew, first. Most of 'em should be makin' their way back now.'

Will nodded and followed his new captain back through the ship. The _Pearl _creaked around them, filling Will with a sense of... home. There was no other word for it. Will finally felt like he belonged, like he was in the right place. He had never felt this comfortable with Elizabeth, or even in Brown's smithy. Everything was finally alright.

Will looked up at Jack as they walked, and had to bite back a smile. Everything would be _perfect_ if he could find a permanent place in Jack's bed. He was certain that there had been times, both the previous night and today, when Jack had been... flirting with him. But Will didn't want to make a move until he was positive. For now he'd focus on becoming part of the crew, and he'd make sure to show Jack that he was open to certain things- but only with the captain.

'Jack,' Will said, reaching out to stop the older man before they could go above deck.

Jack turned to him, eyebrows raised.

'Thank you,' Will said. 'You have no idea how much this means to me.'

Jack smiled. 'Don' worry about it, Will. Believe me, I'm glad yer back.'

Will nodded and squeezed Jack's arm before letting go. He was still smiling when he followed Jack up onto the deck.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, you wanted more, so I wrote more. Thank you so much for all the lovely comments I got on the previous story; I can't believe that people still want to read about Jack and Will :)

The next chapter should be up soon, I already know what's gonna happen. Hope you liked it :) Also, please note the rating change. There will be explicit slash and graphic violence in later chapters, but I'll be putting warnings in at the beginning of each chapter if you wish to avoid that stuff.

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you again for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate them :)

{Dreamer}

* * *

'Mr Turner!' Will heard shouted as he and Jack made their way up onto the deck. He blinked through the harsh sunlight and turned to find the owner of the voice.

'Mr Gibbs,' he smiled when he spotted the first mate.

Mr Gibbs grinned and dropped the rope he was working with to shake Will's hand. 'How yeh been, laddie?' the pirate asked.

'I've been well, thank you,' Will replied.

Jack was standing between them, looking torn between happiness and annoyance. Will didn't understand, but didn't have time to think about it before Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tugged him close.

'William waited for me in Tortuga, Mr Gibbs, just like I said he would,' Jack beamed brightly.

Will blushed as Gibbs' eyes flicked to him, but the first mate smiled and nodded at their captain. 'Knew he would, Captain Sparrow. So is he comin' aboard?'

'Yes, I'm going to be the blacksmith,' Will said.

At the same time, Jack half-shouted, 'I'm gonna make him me cabin boy!'

Gibbs snorted while Will turned to Jack. 'I don't even know what a cabin boy is!' he said.

'Er, don' worry about it, lad,' Gibbs told him with a pat on the shoulder. Jack scowled at him. 'Captain, we're still short a few crew,' Gibbs then said to Jack. 'Figured they're passed out in the brothels.'

'Mm, probably,' Jack nodded. 'Right, Will, first job fer yeh,' Jack continued, squeezing Will's shoulder. 'Go with Mr Gibbs and find our wayward crew. Remember to throw water on 'em if they're still asleep.'

'Uh... okay,' Will said. He shrugged Jack's arm off, missing the warmth as soon as he stepped closer to Mr Gibbs.

'Le's go, Mr Turner,' Gibbs said and led the way down the gangplank.

Will nodded and glanced over his shoulder at Jack, who beamed and waved heartily as Will and Gibbs walked down onto the wharf.

'So, Mr Turner,' Gibbs said as they walked. Will looked at him. 'Yer sure yeh wanna be a pirate, lad?' Gibbs asked.

'Well... there's nothing else I can do,' Will said truthfully. 'I was happy just being a blacksmith until I met Jack. Now I can't think of anything else but being aboard the _Pearl_.'

'And yer ready teh do wha's needed teh be done?' Gibbs asked. 'Wasn' much fightin' the firs' time yeh sailed with us.'

'I already had this conversation with Jack,' Will said, 'and I'll tell you what I told him.' He stopped, making the older man stop, too, and Gibbs turned to look at him. 'I'll do everything in my power to protect Jack and the crew,' Will said. 'I know what's expected of me, and it's the least I could do for Jack, who's taking me aboard despite me having not really sailed before. You don't have to worry about me losing my nerve when the time comes, Mr Gibbs.'

The first mate stared at Will for a long time, and Will had to fight the urge to fidget. Despite being a pirate, Gibbs had the same stern eyes as Governor Swann; like he was judging Will, and Will didn't know what he could do to get on the man's good side.

Finally Gibbs nodded and slapped Will on the shoulder. 'Good teh hear, lad,' he said and started walking again. He reached into his coat and pulled out a flask, which Will knew from experience was filled with rum. 'Jack needs people he can trust,' Gibbs continued. 'Trust is a hard thing teh come by when yer a pirate.'

'I know,' Will said. 'You'd be surprised how hard it is to find trust when you're just a blacksmith.'

Gibbs chuckled and passed Will his flask. Despite his still upset stomach, Will knew better than to refuse; Gibbs never shared his rum. So he took the flask and took a small mouthful before handing it back.

'S'good teh have yeh aboard, William,' Gibbs said. 'Jack wasn' the same without yeh.'

'Really?' Will asked.

Gibbs nodded as they made their way up into the streets. ''E loved havin' the _Pearl _back, but he wasn' as happy as he was when you were with us. Maybe now we can get back to lootin' and pillagin'.'

'I'm sure we will,' was all Will could think to say.

Mr Gibbs knew Tortuga better than Will, so the younger man followed him as they hunted down the rest of the crew of the _Black Pearl. _More often than not Gibbs had to throw water- or something heavier- at the past-out men. There were a lot of grumbles and swear words, and Will hung back as Gibbs told the men to, "_Get yer arse back teh the ship, the Captain's waitin'_."

Finally Gibbs seemed to have the lot of them, and he and Will made their way through the dirty streets of Tortuga, heading back towards the dock.

'What made you decide to become a pirate?' Will asked. Gibbs looked at him, his white eyebrows going up. 'I remember you,' Will admitted. 'You were a sailor on the _Dauntless _when I was rescued as a boy.'

'Ah,' Gibbs nodded. 'I never much cared for pirates,' he said, 'most are a bad sort, as you well know. But Jack an' his pop were the better sort, and I helped 'em out a bit when Jack was younger. He ended up convincin' me teh join 'im. Promised me rum, and doubloons teh get more rum.'

'You knew Jack when he was younger?' Will asked, curious. He tried to imagine what a younger Jack Sparrow looked like, but could only picture the man as he was now; long-haired, wide-eyed, with a cheeky grin and even cheekier words.

'Yeh, knew 'im when he was a lad,' Gibbs nodded. 'Much like he was now, really. Little less world-weary, o' course. But he's always been a little different, our captain. Always been a good man, even when he was shorter than me chest.'

'Huh,' Will said, following Gibbs until the older man stopped before a tavern. They looked down at the boats moored in the dock, the _Black Pearl _the best one of the lot. At least it was in Will's opinion. 'So, is that everyone?' Will asked.

'Aye,' Gibbs nodded. 'That I know of, anyway. If anyone misses the shove off, they deserve teh be left behind. We only made port fer the night an' the crew knew teh get back before the afternoon.' Gibbs turned to look at him. 'Ready to go, young Will?'

'Yes,' Will said, 'everything I own is in Jack's cabin.'

Gibbs grinned as he led the way back down to the dock. 'Oh is it?' he asked, a smirk on his lips.

'Yes,' Will repeated, feeling his cheeks turn red. He kept his eyes on the _Pearl_. 'Jack and I drank a bit too much last night and I passed out in his cabin.'

'An' he didn' throw yeh out?' Gibbs asked. When Will shook his head, the first mate said, 'Interestin'.'

'How is it?' Will questioned.

'Jus' is, lad,' Gibbs said. 'Now go on, get aboard. Jack'll be wantin' teh introduce yeh teh the crew.'

Will gulped at that, but quickly made his way up the gangplank and onto the deck. Jack was behind the wheel, mumbling something to _Pearl_, while most of the crew were bustling about preparing to shove off in a few hours. It was already late afternoon, and Will remembered Jack telling him that they'd be setting off just before nightfall.

'Mr Turner!' Jack shouted when he spotted Will crossing the deck. 'How was yer adventure into Tortuga with our favourite first mate?'

'It was, uh... interesting,' Will decided on. 'I think Gibbs likes his job a bit too much.'

Jack laughed at that. 'They all do, mate, s'why they're pirates. Yeh'll be called upon to wake up some of our heavier drinkers soon enough. Now get over here, I wanna show yeh somethin'.'

Will did as he was told, recognising the difference between his friend Jack, and his captain Jack Sparrow. Will didn't want any special treatment just because he'd helped Jack out in the past; he'd be a good crew-mate, and he'd prove his worth to everyone on-board.

'Yes, Jack?' he asked when he reached the older man.

'I'm gonna teach yeh how to steer _Pearl_,' Jack said.

Will raised his eyebrows. 'Do I have to?' he asked, remembering his last failed attempt at sailing. When he and Jack had first headed towards Tortuga, looking for a crew, Jack had handled almost everything. Will had just run around doing whatever Jack asked. 'Shouldn't I get started on setting up a smithy below deck?' he then asked.

Jack stared at him like he was insane, which was a bit rich, coming from Jack. 'But yeh gotta learn,' Jack pouted.

'Why?' Will asked. 'I don't plan on ever having to steer her.'

'But yeh _should_,' Jack insisted. 'What if somethin' happens to me?'

'Then I'm sure Mr Gibbs can handle her,' Will said.

'But _Pearl _says yeh'll be able to hear her, Will,' Jack continued to fight.

Will frowned. He seriously doubted that the _Pearl _would ever speak to him. Actually, he seriously doubted that the boat could actually _talk_. Jack just loved her a bit too much... and he was slightly mad... and drunk half of the time.

'Jack...' he sighed.

'Just promise yeh'll let me teach yeh at some point, Will,' Jack said. And there was that pout again. Will was hard pressed to ignore it. 'Yeh can't work on weapons forever; yeh'll get bored when we're sailin' for days on end.

Will bit his lips before nodding, and Jack grinned, wide and happy, making Will's stomach pleasantly warm.

Jack clapped him on the shoulder and said, 'That's me cabin boy!'

'I'm not your cabin boy!' Will hissed and looked around. A few of the crew were looking their way, most of them curious about the sudden addition to their ship. Will recognised a few men from the last time he'd sailed with Jack. 'Jack!'

Jack chuckled and then swayed on the spot, turning to look at the crew.

'Oi, listen up, yeh bastards!' Jack shouted, instantly gaining the attention of the entire crew. 'This lad here,' Jack continued and wrapped an arm around Will, tugging him closer (much to Will's dismay), 'this 'ere is William Turner, son of Bootstrap Bill Turner, in case yeh didn't hear the las' name. Will's also the lad who helped me get _Pearl _back. He's stayin' on this ship, with me, and if any of you give 'im any shit, I'll make yeh walk the plank, savvy?'

A chorus of, 'Aye!' went up from the crew, though some were less enthusiastic than others. Will knew that while the crew wouldn't throw him overboard in the middle of the night, Jack's speech wouldn't make them _like _him. They'd no doubt hate the special treatment Will got and give him suspicious glances, wondering just who Will was to Jack. If Will knew himself, he'd be more than happy to tell them.

So, Will decided, he'd just have to earn the crew's respect himself. He suspected that some of Jack's old crew- the ones Will had journeyed with to get the _Pearl _back- respected him already. The new ones? Not so much.

No matter. Will could fight, he could learn, and he could fix their weapons or make them new ones. In no time at all he'd prove to them that he was a great pirate, and not just on-board because Jack owed him, or because he was... was Jack's _cabin boy _or something.

Jack nodded, seeming satisfied, but didn't let go of Will.

'Er, Jack?' Will cleared his throat.

'Mm?' Jack hummed, his free hand stroking _Pearl's _wheel lovingly.

'I don't have any tools,' Will admitted. 'I was using the owner's when I worked at the blacksmith in Tortuga. So... I kind of need tools if I'm going to fix the crew's swords and make new ones.'

Jack nodded, actually looking serious for once. 'Right, yeh right,' he finally said. 'Can yeh get anything in port?' he then asked.

'Uh... a few things, I suppose,' Will said, thinking about the shops he'd passed during his time in Tortuga. 'But I don't exactly have money for them.'

'No worries, me lad,' Jack grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. He finally let go of Will and wandered off to his quarters, leaving Will standing awkwardly by the wheel. When he came back it was with a bag which he waved in Will's direction. 'Take this and buy what yeh can,' Jack ordered and thrust the bag at him.

'What?' Will gaped. The bag was heavy, and when he opened it he found it was filled with gold and silver. 'Jack, I can't take this.'

'Why not?' Jack demanded. 'All of me crew get a cut of the spoils after we pillage a ship. Yer part of me crew, aren't yeh?'

'Well... yes,' Will said, 'but I haven't actually done any... pillaging.'

'Not yet,' Jack grinned at him. 'Yeh smithy's gonna help me and the crew out, Will; giving yeh some money is the least I can do.'

'But-' Will tried to argue. Jack, of course, interrupted.

'I'll take it outta yeh next cut, if that'd make yeh happy,' he sighed.

Will mulled it over before nodding. 'Okay, fine,' he agreed. He tried to stuff the bag into his trouser pocket, but it was too large, and Jack snickered.

'Come on, lad, I'll lend yeh a waistcoat or somethin',' Jack said. He grabbed Will's arm and led him towards the captain's cabin. 'Yeh want Mr Gibbs or someone to come with yeh, or yeh wanna go alone?'

'I can take care of myself,' Will scowled as he entered Jack's cabin. He glanced around as Jack looked for something for him to wear.

'Didn't say yeh couldn't, William,' Jack said. He tossed a heavy leather waistcoat at Will, and Will slipped it on and buttoned it up. Jack then handed him a long length of bright red fabric, similar to the scarf that Jack was wearing around his waist.

'Uh...'

'Wrap this around yeh waist, and yeh can hold the bag in yeh waistcoat without worryin' about it fallen out,' Jack explained.

'Oh,' Will blinked. He took the fabric and wound it around his waist, but Jack huffed and batted his hands aside after a few seconds. Will could only stand there, blushing, as Jack dressed him, and when he was finally done the captain nodded in satisfaction.

'Yer already lookin' like a pirate,' Jack said proudly.

'Good,' Will chuckled. The more he looked like a pirate, the more seriously the crew would take him.

'Don't be too long now, William,' Jack said as they left the cabin. 'We're sailin' in two hours.'

'I'll be back,' Will promised before heading off. He could feel Jack's eyes on him, as well as those of the crew. Will held his head high as he walked. He'd prove to them all that he could be a good pirate.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you all had a good Christmas, or at least an adequate one. For me it was just a usual day and I didn't have to see any of my cousins or aunt, which was _awesome_. So, I kind of actually have a plot in mind, now! I know what's gonna happen in the next few chapters, which is more than I had twenty minutes ago when I sat down to write this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for all the reviews and follows :)

{Dreamer}

* * *

Will was practically vibrating with energy as he re-boarded the _Black Pearl_. Jack was still standing at the helm, muttering under his breath, a compass in one hand, the other resting on _Pearl_. Will made his way over to the captain, but was stopped by an arm thrown over his shoulders.

'Willie, I finally get teh see ya!'

Will turned, and then smiled when he locked eyes with Anamaria.

'I didn't know you were still with Jack,' Will said when Anamaria had let him go.

'He still owes me a ship!' Anamaria half shouted, making Will wince. 'Now that he's got you back, we can start searchin' for one. Do yeh reckon a Navy ship would be better, or another pirate ship?'

'Uh...' Will hesitated before he realised that Anamaria really wanted his input. 'I don't know,' he admitted. 'I suppose a Navy ship would be better maintained, wouldn't it? The Navy has standards, after all.'

'And pirates don't?' Anamaria demanded, her dark eyes narrowed.

'No, I didn't mean that!' Will spluttered. 'I meant that, uh, it... just that p-pirates-'

Anamaria cracked up laughing and hugged Will tightly. 'By the gods you are adorable, love,' she winked at him and pinched his cheek.

'I'm _not _adorable,' Will grumbled.

'I beg to differ.'

Will and Anamaria looked up to see Jack standing before them. He was glaring at Anamaria, but his eyes softened when they met Will's.

Anamaria whistled and rocked back on her feet, hands going to the thick belt looped around her thin waist. 'Ar'right there, Captain?' she grinned.

'Fine,' Jack said. 'Don't you have some rigging to do, Ana?' he demanded.

'Sure do, Cap,' the woman smirked. 'Suppose I'd better let young William here get back to... whatever it is he's doin' on the ship.'

'Blacksmith,' Will said.

And Jack, of course, shouted, 'Cabin boy!'

Anamaria snickered and Will scowled at the captain, who just smiled widely.

'Right, right,' Anamaria laughed. 'I'll leave yeh to it, then.'

She wandered off towards Mr Gibbs and Mr Cotton, who were on the starboard side of the ship, working with something on the deck.

'Cheeky lass,' Jack muttered. 'Gotta get her her own ship so she leaves this one.'

'When are you doing that?' Will questioned.

'_We_, William,' Jack corrected, tugging on the leather bag Will had in his arms. '_We _are gonna be doin' that real soon. There's a large merchant vessel heading outta the port a few days' sail from here, like I told yeh before. If the ship's to Ana's liking, she can keep it.'

Will nodded. 'And the crew?'

'Toss 'em overboard,' Jack shrugged. 'Ship's lugging rum, food, and Navy bastards. They can swim back to shore.'

Will chuckled at that and followed Jack back towards the helm. There had been a point in time when he'd respected Navy personnel, but that time was long gone. Commodore Norrington might have pardoned him, but that didn't mean he respected Will. If anything, he thought less of Will now then he had back before Will's first adventure with Jack.

That same line of thinking had fallen to every seaman in Port Royal. Word seemed to spread quickly in port, and the soldiers went elsewhere for their weapons, and when they _did _stumble across Will, it was with sneers and spat words about filthy pirates. Now that Will _was _a pirate, he had no problem in tossing some Navy men overboard.

'You alright with that, lad?' Jack asked as he leaned against _Pearl's _wheel.

'Yes, that's fine with me,' the younger man nodded.

Jack nodded, too. 'Good,' he said and then looked down at what Will was carrying. 'Did yeh get yer tools?'

'I got a lot of stuff,' Will immediately brightened. He dropped to crouch on the deck and unravelled the bag and various pieces of leather he'd acquired. Jack clearly had no idea what half the tools were, but he listened attentively as Will explained everything. 'I didn't think Tortuga would have this many good tools,' Will said as he re-wrapped everything. 'I still don't have anything I need- I couldn't find an anvil, for instance- but with this lot I can fix any weapons the crew has, as well as the cannons. I can even do some woodwork if the _Pearl _needs it.'

Jack nodded along, stroking his beard, and clapped Will on the shoulder when the blacksmith stood. 'That's good, Willie,' he grinned brightly. 'Yeh can get started tomorrow; we're shovin' off in a few minutes, so go put yer stuff in me cabin and get back out here.'

'Ah...' Will hesitated, glancing back at Jack's cabin door. 'Shouldn't I put my stuff in the crew's quarters?'

'Yeah, later,' the captain waved a dismissive hand. 'I'll have Mr Gibbs set yeh up below deck later. For now, just do what yer captain ordered.'

'Aye, aye,' Will saluted and scampered off. Jack's chuckle followed after him.

{oOo}

Being back at sea, with _Jack_, was the best feeling Will had had in months. It was even better than the first time he'd sailed with Jack. He didn't have to worry about rescuing Elizabeth, or Barbossa slitting his throat, or even Norrington coming after him. Well, there was always the chance that Norrington and his men would stumble across Will, but the _Pearl _could easily outrun any Navy ship, and Jack and his crew were excellent fighters; Will knew that he was the safest he could possibly be at sea while aboard the _Pearl._

Will stood at the starboard bow, leaning against the railing, and closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply. The air out at sea was amazingly fresh, tinged with salt from the water, and the wind whipping through his hair made Will feel light and without a care in the world. The _Black Pearl _rocked gently beneath his feet as she ploughed through the waves, and the sounds of men- and one woman- working to keep the ship going filled Will's ears.

He'd tried to help, but Jack had been busy apologising to _Pearl_- apparently he'd pissed her off, which was why she wasn't going as fast as she usually did- and most of the crew had simply ignored Will when he asked if they needed help.

Will would have to go to Jack when he wasn't busy and get some lessons, or maybe Anamaria or Mr Gibbs would help him. Will chuckled as he imagined the look of delight Jack would no doubt sport when Will asked for help; if there was one thing Jack loved most in the world, it was the _Black Pearl_.

'Careful there,' a voice called, breaking Will from his thoughts. He turned to see a tall, well-built man coming towards him, a length of rope curled around one shoulder. 'Wouldn' wanna be around the captain if yeh went overboard,' the pirate stated.

'I've sailed before,' Will told him.

'I know,' the man nodded, 'heard about it from the Captain's old crew. Said yer pretty handy in a fight.' He eyed Will, then, and Will had to fight the urge to squirm. 'Reckon yeh could give us a demonstration?' the pirate asked.

'You want to fight me?' Will's eyebrows climbed as the man nodded. 'Why?'

'See what yer capable of,' the pirate shrugged. 'Plus it'd probably raise yer standin' with the crew. Been some rumours goin' around 'bout you and the Captain.'

Will sighed. 'I can guess what they're saying.' The pirate snickered, but Will smiled at him anyway. 'I don't mind having a practice fight with anyone.'

'Good,' the pirate nodded. 'Captain'll be slowing _Pearl _down in about an hour or two, I'd say. That's usually when he wants dinner. Wanna fight before or after?'

'Before,' Will said. 'I like nothing more than a nice dinner after I win a fight.'

'Cheeky bugger,' the pirate laughed. He held his free hand out and said, 'I'm Gabriel Doyle. Me mates call me Gabe.'

'Nice to meet you, Gabe,' Will said and shook the man's hand. 'I look forward to our fight.'

'Me too,' Gabe said. He winked at Will, shook his hand one last time, and wandered off to do whatever he'd been doing before.

'What was that?' Anamaria asked, suddenly appearing at Will's side.

Will blinked at her. 'Uh... he wants to fight me.'

'What?' Anamaria squawked. 'He'll be tossed overboard when the Captain hears!'

'No, a _practice _fight,' Will told her. 'He wants to see what I'm capable of.'

Anamaria frowned at him. 'Yeh know yeh don' need teh do that, right?'

'I have to prove myself,' Will said. 'I _want _to prove myself. I want to prove to the crew that I have a right to be here, that I'm not just... just...'

'Jack's cabin boy?' Anamaria supplied.

Will groaned. 'I wish people would stop saying that.'

'Get used to it, lad,' Anamaria chuckled, punching him in the shoulder. 'Pirates like teh gossip, and they like teh tease each other. S'all in good fun. Until it isn't,' she then added, staring at Will. 'If anyone gives yeh a _real _hard time, let me or Mr Gibbs know. We'll sort it out.'

'I can look after myself,' Will scowled.

''Course yeh can,' Anamaria nodded. 'But yer the Captain's favourite. Gotta look out for yeh.'

Will didn't know what to say to that, so kept his mouth shut. Anamaria just winked at him- seriously, why was everyone _doing _that?- and wandered off after Gabe, leaving Will alone with his thoughts.

{oOo}

'What's this I hear about a fight?'

Will jumped and almost dropped his sword. He turned to scowl at Jack, who was leaning against the mast. 'Why do people keep sneaking up on me?' he demanded.

Jack chuckled. 'Gotta learn to move with _Pearl_, William. Just listen to her and she'll make yeh as quiet as a mouse.'

Will rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, turning his back on Jack. He could feel the captain watching him, but ignored the older man in favour of warming up. He could fight well at a moment's notice, but if he had the choice he'd warm up his arms and legs, get his arm used to wielding a sword, before he entered a quarrel.

'Yeh gonna answer me?' Jack asked from behind him.

'One of the crew- Gabe- wants to see how well I can fight,' Will explained. He moved slowly and gracefully, stepping forward or back with each thrust of his blade, ducking and weaving around an invisible foe. He tossed the sword to his other hand and spun again, catching sight of Jack watching him. 'I need to prove myself to the crew,' Will continued as his movements slowed once more, his sword singing through the air. 'I have no problem proving that I can beat any man who dares cross me.'

'If you say so, lad,' Jack hummed. 'Just remember that we don't have a doctor on-board yet. So don't hurt me crew too bad.'

Will chuckled and slowed to a stop, brown eyes warm as they met Jack's. 'I'm glad to see that you have confidence in me.'

'I know yeh can fight, William,' Jack shrugged one shoulder. He wasn't wearing his captain's hat, and the red of his scarf was bright in the setting sun. 'I know yeh can fight real well,' Jack continued. 'I know what each man on this ship is capable of, so I know that yeh'll definitely beat Gabriel. Just remember that we're pirates, love.'

'And you don't fight fair,' Will nodded, easily understanding what Jack was saying. 'Believe me, Jack, I learned that a long time ago.'

'Yeh mean when I beat ya in the smithy?' Jack asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

The younger man scowled at him. 'You didn't beat me, Jack.'

'I sure did,' Jack said. 'I remember pointin' a pistol at you and all.'

'You cheated!' Will snapped.

'Pirate!' Jack shouted back.

'Yes, but I was fighting under _rules_, Jack,' Will argued. 'I'm not now. I'll use every dirty trick I can think of to beat Gabe.' He paused to grin, and Jack's eyebrows climbed. 'I'm a pirate, savvy?' Will grinned cheekily.

Jack barked out a laugh and shook his head, his dreadlocks bouncing, beads clinking together. 'Oh, William,' he sighed with a soft chuckle,'yeh gonna be the death of me, lad.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' the blacksmith asked.

'Never mind,' Jack waved a hand. 'Come up to the helm with me. I wanna get yeh a bit familiar with _Pearl _before yer fight. If yeh listen, she'll help.'

Will sighed, but decided to hear Jack's words as an order. He sheathed his sword and buckled it to his belt- he'd swapped the scarf that Jack had leant to him for one of his belts earlier- and followed Jack across the deck.

There weren't as many pirates on deck as there had been earlier. The cook- a man named Mosh or Dosh or Sosh, Will hadn't been able to hear properly over the roar of the wind- had disappeared below deck about twenty minutes earlier to get started on dinner, and half of the crew had followed.

Will had learned earlier that everything aboard was rationed by Jack and Mr Gibbs; every crew-mate got two meals a day and three mugs of rum. Everyone got a pillow each and one blanket unless they bought their own in port, and they were all responsible for their own belongings. Of course, thievery was frowned upon, and if someone ended up sick Jack would order a few crew-mates to look after whoever had taken ill until they could find a port with a doctor.

Food and rum were often swapped for chores. For example, Will had learned that if you scrubbed the entire deck you'd get an extra two rums. And if you did something for the cook- like cleaned out the pots and pans, or cut food for him- he'd slip you an extra helping of food.

Jack was aware of it all, of course, but he didn't much care. As long as the crew were happy, they'd follow his every order. And Will had never seen a happier crew of pirates. Jack was an excellent captain despite his insanity and drunken attitude. Norrington should have realised long ago that Jack would _always _worm his way out of trouble, and Will was kind of hoping that the three of them would cross paths soon. He couldn't wait to prove to the snooty older man that he and Jack had more heart.

Jack was standing by the wheel, eyes alight, his body swaying easily with the ship. Will stopped before him and held his hands out. 'Okay, so what am I doing?'

'Come 'ere,' Jack ordered, holding a hand out. Will stepped forward, and soon found one of Jack's arms wrapped around his waist, the older man's body guiding Will's own towards the wheel. Will was pressed against the wood tightly, Jack a long line of warmth against his back, and he shivered as one of Jack's calloused hands wrapped around his. 'Now,' Jack said right into Will's ear, 'yeh gotta go with _Pearl_, alright? Yeh gotta let her lead. Any idiot can steer a ship with enough practice, but to get her to _really _perform yeh gotta listen and feel her.'

Will just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Jack placed Will's hand on one of the spokes and wrapped his and Will's fingers around the wood tightly. His other arm was still around Will's waist, and he tugged Will gently from side to side.

'Can yeh feel her?' Jack asked, whispering the words into Will's ear.

Will gulped thickly but shook his head. All he could feel was _Jack_; Jack's fingers on his own, Jack's body pressed tightly against him, Jack's breath and words and... and just _Jack_.

'It'll take some time,' Jack murmured. 'But _Pearl _said yeh'll get there.'

He fell silent, then, and Will didn't want to break the atmosphere by admitting that he had _no _idea what the captain was saying. He just stood silently and enjoyed the closeness, the ship rocking beneath him, the smell of Jack and the wood beneath his fingers.

'Feel anythin'?' Jack asked softly after a few minutes- or hours, Will had lost track of time.

'No,' Will admitted.

'S'alright,' Jack shrugged. Will felt the gesture against his back. 'I'll just have to give yeh a lesson every day.'

Will nodded. Yes, that... that was _fine_. If it meant being pressed up against Jack for even a few minutes, Will would take all the lessons he could get.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

* * *

**Warnings: **Violence

**Author's Note: **I KNEW that Cabin Boy was a proper job! According to the internet it's "an attendant on passengers and crew. Usually a young man". So there we go, you learn something new every day. Of course, in my head, Jack meant something far naughtier when he said Will could be his cabin boy :p

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter. And thanks for the reviews and follows, they make me smile :) - see, smiley face, I wasn't lying!

{Dreamer}

* * *

Will and Jack were still standing together at the helm when Mr Gibbs called for them. Will jumped but Jack just squeezed his hip before slowly stepping back. Will turned to look at the older man, eyebrows raised, but Jack just gave him a lopsided grin and swayed down the stairs.

'And how can I help yeh this fine evenin', Mr Gibbs?' the captain questioned.

Gibbs was standing just by the hatch that led below deck, and crew members were already scampering up the stairs and across the _Pearl_. 'Yer boy promised a fight, Captain,' Gibbs announced. 'And the boys wanna see a fight.'

Jack turned to look at Will, who nodded. 'I _did _promise, Jack,' he said. 'And I'd rather win the fight before I eat.'

''ear tha', lads?' one of the crew shouted. 'Boy reckons 'e can beat Gabe!'

Hoots and various shouts went up from the gathered men, while Anamaria smirked at first Will, then Jack. Gibbs just chuckled and made his way to one of the cannons that was tied down just before the stairs leading up to the helm. He leaned against it and drew out his flask.

'Give 'em hell, lad!' he toasted Will and took a swig.

''E got no chance,' the same pirate said and was met with jeers of agreement. 'Gabe'll knock 'im flat.'

Gabe had just come topside and smiled. He didn't join in with the various taunts, which Will was thankful for. He always appreciated a somewhat-honourable man while practice fighting. He knew he wouldn't meet that often, especially on a pirate ship.

'I better get my sword,' Will said and made his way back to the helm, where he'd left his cutlass.

'Yeh reckon yeh can beat me lad, Mr Doyle?' Will heard Jack ask as he stepped into the captain's quarters.

'Dunno yet, Captain,' Gabe's deep voice answered. 'Haven't seem him fight before, have I?'

'I have,' Anamaria piped up. 'He's got a good swing on him, that boy.'

'Beat Captain Jack, first time they met,' Gibbs joined in.

'He did not!' Jack snapped.

'S'not what I heard, Captain,' Gibbs teased, much to the amusement of the crew. 'Yeh had teh pull out yer pistol, didn't ya?'

'Yeah, which means that _I _beat _him_,' Jack pointed out.

Will quickly grabbed his sword and walked back down the steps. 'You cheated, Jack,' he stated.

Jack scowled at him. 'Pirate, love. I still won, just not fair and square.'

'You won according to _your _rules, not mine,' Will reminded him. 'If I had cheated, you wouldn't have won.'

'Says you,' Jack muttered.

'Yes, says I,' Will chuckled. He stopped beside Jack and grinned at the other man. 'Wanna have another round? We'll see if you can beat me this time.'

Jack blinked at him before a smirk spread across his face. 'We can go as many rounds as yeh want, William.'

Anamaria barked out a laugh, and Mr Gibbs was chuckling as he swigged back more rum. The gathered crew were staring between Jack and Will, but only Gabe was wearing a knowing look.

Will blushed slightly under Jack's dark eyes and cleared his throat. 'Are you ready?' he directed at Gabe. The taller man nodded and started shouting for the gathered pirates to move back.

'Don' start without me!' the cook shouted as he came topside. He wiped his hands on the large black apron he was wearing and went to join Mr Gibbs. 'Who approved of this?' he grumbled as he walked. 'I'm the one who'll be stuck stitchin' up whoever loses.'

'The lad won't hurt Gabe too bad,' Gibbs said.

'Oh, fancy himself a fighter, does he?' the cook commented.

Gibbs chuckled and looked at Will, who'd unsheathed his sword. On closer inspection it was a cutlass; the blade began to curve halfway down, and the steel glistened in the fading sun, sharp and lethal. The hilt was white and sported a basket-shaped guard that was gold and polished to perfection like the blade.

Gibbs nodded to himself in approval. Swords were good and all, but cutlasses were better use on a ship; the blades were shorter and sharper, and could be used without a lot of practice. Of course, young Will had clearly spent _hours _practising with the one he was currently using. He swung it expertly through the air, though slowly; his wrist moved with graceful ease, and the cutlass practically sang as it sliced through the air.

The crew had gone quiet now. Clearly Will at least knew how to use a weapon, and their belief that he'd go down in a few seconds was somewhat swayed.

While Will warmed up- and Gabe did the same, after watching the boy for about a minute- Anamaria started taking bets. Soon there was shouting and curses as the crew bustled about, handshakes traded and spare coins offered up. Most of the crew had spent their loot in Tortuga, which was why they were on their way to raid a merchant vessel leaving Port Twelves a few days' sail away.

'Wanna have a bet, then?' the cook, Gosh, asked Gibbs.

Gibbs smirked as he turned to face the other man. 'And who are you bettin' on, Mr Gosh?'

'On young Mr Doyle, o' course,' Gosh replied. 'Haven't seen Mr Turner fight, tha's true, but he's a pretty young thing. Probably spent his years eating fancy food and having lessons in a big manor house somewhere.'

Gibbs bust a kidney he was laughing that hard. He didn't know everything about Will, and he was sure that Jack didn't, either, but he knew enough; Will and his mum had been homeless shortly after Will's eighth birthday, and they'd somehow managed to buy their way onto a merchant vessel leaving England. They'd then encountered a pirate ship- the _Black Pearl_, Gibbs was sure of it- where Will's mum had perished, bless her soul.

Young William had spent the next eight or nine years of his life in Port Royal working for Mr Brown, the town drunk, forging weapons in a boiling hot room. The only reason William had manners was because of Miss Elizabeth and Governor Swann.

Gibbs had seen the boy fight; he knew that a pirate's heart beat in William's chest. He knew Will could fight dirty if it was needed. He'd proven time and time again that he could be fierce and unpredictable, especially if it was to prove himself or save someone he loved. Gabe was an excellent fighter, no doubt about that, _but_...

The first mate glanced at Jack, who was staring at Will with undisguised hunger. How the boy couldn't figure out what Captain Jack wanted was beyond Gibbs, but it wasn't his place- or Anamaria's- to interfere. Will was a smart lad, he'd figure it out.

'I'll take that bet,' Gibbs finally spoke as Will and Gabe caught each other's eyes, both nodding. The crew started hushing each other and jostled about as they tried to get front-row seats. 'Say... a double helping's of dinner every night for the next four days?' Gibbs said.

Gosh looked at Will and Gabe, as though sizing them both up. Gabe had at least a head in height over Will, and his arms and torso were twice as thick. 'When you lose,' he said, and turned back to Gibbs, a grin on his dirty face, 'you get me three bottles o' rum from the Captain's quarters.'

'Deal,' Gibbs quickly said and shook Gosh's hand. Will would win. And, if Gabe got lucky, Jack was so enamoured with young Mr Turner that he wouldn't notice three bottles of fine rum disappearing.

{oOo}

'Ready?' Will asked as he stood about two feet from Gabe.

The larger man laughed and look about at the crew. 'He asks if I'm ready!'

The crew hooted and jeered, tossing insults at Will from every direction. Will didn't take it to heart; he knew from experience that pirates took the piss out of each other. Even after he gained their respect they'd still do it. Will would just curse back at them.

'I hope you're that light-hearted when I whip your sorry arse,' Will quipped.

That earned a few laughs, and Jack snickered from where he was watching. 'Get on with it, Willie,' Jack called. 'Yeh still got some lessons before dinner.'

'Yeah, as the Captain's personal cabin boy!' one pirate shouted. Everybody laughed at that, including Jack, but Will ignored them and focused on Gabe.

''E won' be able teh do dat when Gabe's done wid 'im,' another man spoke up.

'Enough!' Will snapped, making silence fall. 'Gabriel,' he turned to the man. 'First to have his sword at the other's throat wins.'

'Aye, Mr Turner,' Gabe bowed slightly at the blacksmith.

With no further words the two started circling each other. Will kept his eyes and ears open, ignoring the stares from the crew and Jack. He watched every step Gabe took, and the way the man held his sword- a longer, duller blade than Will's own cutlass. In a few minutes Will could have it cleaned and sharpened. For now, he was glad it was worn; it gave Will yet another advantage.

His first being that Gabe underestimated him. Oh, not as much as the rest of the crew, who looked at Will and saw a skinny man with good speech, which was no doubt from a proper upbringing. Gabe still underestimated him, though; that much was clear in the smirk tugging at his lips, in the glint in his eyes that spoke of a quick, easy victory.

Will's second advantage was Gabe's size. Will was by no means small, but he was a fair bit shorter than half of the crew, his muscles lean, not bulging. But Will could use that against Gabe; he was agile, could move faster.

Will's eyes flicked briefly away from Gabe for two reasons; one, to take in his surroundings and see what he could use; and two, to give Gabe the opening he was looking for.

Gabe took the bait and suddenly leapt forward, landing near-silently before Will. He swung at Will's head, his blade turned sideways to ensure he wouldn't slice Will's head open. Will easily ducked under the blade and spun on the toes of his boots. He popped up behind Gabe, took a quick step back, and slapped the side of Gabe's head with the flat of his own blade.

Gabe went stumbling sideways, cursing at the pain now shooting through his head, and turned quickly to face Will. Will grinned cockily, both because he'd one-upped the pirate, and to goad the other man into attacking again.

The crew were getting fired up now, and were shouting for Gabe to attack.

'Don' let the pretty boy get away with tha', Gabie!' one shouted.

'Dir'y li'l bastard, smack 'im good!' said another.

Jack and Mr Gibbs were snickering, while Anamaria was smirking and no doubt thinking about her winnings.

Gabe growled but didn't act stupidly; he eyed Will carefully as they stepped around each other, and when Will stumbled slightly on a coil of rope, the taller man pounced again.

Will rolled under the swing this time, easily circling Gabe. He kicked the man in the arse and sent him tumbling into the rope, curses and thumps ringing out as Gabe scrambled to his feet. This time Gabe threw caution to the wind and leapt straight at Will.

Will brought his cutlass up and the blades rang as they collided. Will parried each thrust and made swipes at Gabe's stomach and chest when the man left an opening. He cut open his shirt once, twice, each time earning a snarl of anger. Their footsteps echoed on the boards beneath their feet, and Will was concious of absolutely everything around him even as he focused most of his attention on the advancing pirate.

Gabe made a desperate swipe at Will's head, forcing Will to leap back and into some of the crew. The men around him stumbled aside and Will went rolling across the deck, quickly climbing to his feet.

'Oi, don' cut me boy up!' Jack snapped over the cheering crew.

Gabe scowled but his attacks got less dangerous. He tried to butt the hilt of his sword against Will's head, but Will was too quick; he tried to kick and punch, to knick and swipe, but Will wouldn't stay still long enough for him to land a blow.

Will danced around a mast and swung the guard of his cutlass into Gabe's head, swaying away as Gabe cursed in pain and spun to face him. Out of Will's eyesight, one of the crew suddenly threw a bucket behind the blacksmith. Will heard the thump of it hitting the deck but didn't turn as Gabe was advancing on him, and as such he went stumbling over it. He hit the deck hard and a laugh went up from the crew. Jack cursed but made no move to intervene.

Will brought his sword up and the curved guard caught against Gabe's own hilt. Gabe stood over him, boots either side of Will's hips, and pressed down. Will swore as both swords were slowly lowered towards his neck. He couldn't match Gabe for strength; the man was just too big.

So he did the only thing he could in his current position; he pushed his sword up towards his head as best he could, dragging Gabe forward, and brought both legs up. His knees connected with Gabe's arse and sent the older man stumbling forward with both swords.

Will rolled away and grabbed the bucket as he went. When he stood it was all he had against Gabe, who was now holding Will's cutlass awkwardly in his left hand. He clearly hadn't practised using both hands like Will had, and the blacksmith smirked.

'What'chya smirkin' for, Cabin Boy?' one of the crew hollered. 'Seems Gabe's got the advantage!'

'Yeh gonna owe me a few doubloons, Ana!' another shouted at the woman, who was watching from near the main mast.

Anamaria laughed loudly. 'If yeh think young Turner has lost, then yer stupider than yeh look, Misty!'

Gabe came at Will quickly but sloppily, his movements thrown off by the new sword. Will easily ducked one blow, then another, using the bucket he'd acquired as a shield. When one of Gabe's swings went wide Will darted close and smacked him in the face. Blood spurted from Gabe's nose and he growled, turning dark, anger-filled eyes on Will.

Will grinned. 'Had enough yet?' he asked as he side-stepped another of Gabe's swings. 'Or did you want some more?'

'I'm the one with the swords, boy!' Gabe shouted.

'And yet you still can't hit me!' Will jeered.

Will danced around Gabe for a few more minutes, his eyes taking in every step and parry like before, committing them quickly to memory. When he finally decided to end it, it was done quickly.

Instead of darting away like he had been, Will brought his bucket up when Gabe swiped first with his sword, then with Will's cutlass. The sword skimmed off of the bucket but the cutlass embedded itself in the wood instead of slicing along Will's stomach. Will twisted the bucket and pulled it away, wrenching the cutlass from Gabe's grip. Gabe stumbled back and Will elbowed him in the face, sending Gabe reeling.

In one quick, fluid movement, Will dropped the bucket, slid his hand under the cutlass' guard, and ripped the blade free. He slammed the guard into Gabe's face and sent the man flailing again. Will's left hand came up and easily plucked Gabe's sword from the man's hand. With two steps and a few parries, Will had cut Gabe's shirt into ribbons and forced the man onto his arse.

Gabe gasped for breath, his face a bloody mess, and froze when the tips of two blades were suddenly pressed against his throat, the steel cold on his skin. He looked up slowly to see Will standing over him barely out of breath.

'Do you forfeit?' Will asked him.

Gabe swallowed thickly before nodding. He knew when he was defeated; 'Aye.'

Will stared at him for almost a minute before withdrawing both blades. With a skilful flick of his wrist he was holding Gabe's sword out to him hilt-first, and Gabe accepted the blade before taking the hand Will then offered him. He was dragged to his feet and Will stepped away as soon as he was standing, eyes narrowed.

Gabe let out a long laugh and shook his head. 'Don' worry, mate, yeh won; I won't be comin' back for seconds.' He clapped Will on the shoulder before re-sheathing his sword. 'Good fight, lad.'

The crew were clearly stunned, because they were quiet. They only started speaking when Anamaria clapped her hands together and shouted, 'Give us yeh money, yeh dirty bastards!'

Whistles and cheers went up, as well as grumbles and curses from those now with emptier pockets. Will felt slightly dazed as various pirates slapped him in the shoulder, back, or shook his hand. All were now clamouring to have Will fix their weapons, or even teach them some of the moves they'd seen him use. Will was stunned.

'Who trained yeh?' one pirate asked, and more than a dozen stopped to listen.

'Uh...' Will hesitated before clearing his throat. 'I taught myself. For years.'

'Well look a' that!' the pirate shouted. 'Gots ourselves a talented young one, don' we!'

'Aye!' the crew shouted and went back to asking Will questions or handing their money over to Anamaria.

Suddenly Jack was by Will's side, and the crew parted quickly after seeing the look in his eyes. 'That was some fine work there, William,' Jack commented.

Will smirked at him. 'I practised even more when I returned to Port Royal.'

'Oh did yeh?' Jack asked. 'Miss Elizabeth wasn't demanding more of yer time? I woulda thought, what with the wedding coming up, that she'd have wanted to spend some time with yeh.'

Will blushed, and Jack greedily drank in the sight; Will blushing was just downright adorable. 'Well, sh-she did,' the younger man stuttered before clearing his throat once more. 'But I, uh... I couldn't,' Will finally shrugged. 'I didn't love her, not like I thought I did.'

_I wasn't attracted to her, _was what Will didn't say, but Jack heard it all the same. He smiled gleefully and slapped Will on the back. 'Come on, lad, yeh should get some food into yeh after a fight like that.'

'I hardly exerted myself, Jack,' Will smiled, pleased that Jack cared about him.

'Nah, I know yeh didn't,' Jack nodded. 'But yeh need food all the same, strapping young lad like yourself.'

That got another blush out of Will just like Jack had hoped, and the captain leaned forward, prepared to make it darker, when he was interrupted.

'Captain!' the barrelman suddenly shouted, and every single pirate aboard went silent as they looked up at the masthead. 'Ship on the horizon!'

Jack frowned and moved forward, the crew parting around him. Gibbs quickly pulled a spyglass from his heavy waistcoat. He joined Jack at the _Pearl's _bow and handed the spyglass over. Jack extended the device and looked to where the barrelman had shouted, but Will didn't think it was really needed; he had moved to the starboard bulwark along with half of the crew, and he could see the vague shape of a ship in the distance.

'Anamaria!' Jack suddenly called and the woman hurried forward. 'Looks like a merchant vessel, she's flying English colours,' Jack quickly explained, loud enough for most of the screw to hear.

Anamaria frowned. 'Captain...?'

'You fancy yourself a ship, don't yeh?' Jack turned to her. 'Well?'

Anamaria grinned and took the spyglass Jack offered her. She peered through it for a good few minutes. 'She seems a bit on the smaller side,' the woman finally stated, 'but I can't really say nothin' 'til we get up close, can I?'

'Fair enough,' Jack nodded and swayed on the spot to face the crew. 'Fancy a bit of pillaging, lads?'

A chorus of, 'Aye!' rang up from everyone, including Will, and Jack gave the blacksmith a wide smile before ordering everyone to hoist the sails and get on with their piarety-jobs.

Will didn't have a chance to do anything before Jack was in front of him. 'Yeh ready for this, William?' he asked, for once his voice completely serious.

'Are you going to slaughter everyone aboard even if they surrender?' Will countered.

'No,' Jack answered immediately.

'Then yes, I'm fine,' Will said.

'Yeh'll be fine, even if we set them off in one life-boat with very little food?' Jack asked.

Will shrugged. 'They knew the risks when they set sail, Jack. And as I've learned, even the Navy will rarely step in and help anyone.'

Yes, he'd learned that after he'd returned from his first adventure with Jack. He had been lucky that Elizabeth Swann had been aboard the _Dauntless _when he was a lad; she'd caught sight of him, had made Norrington and his men pull Will aboard. From talks in the bars he'd frequented, both back at Port Royal and Tortuga, Will had learned that many Navy sailors were corrupt and wouldn't think twice about sailing past a life-boat in need. So why should Will?

'I'm a pirate now, remember?' Will continued. 'I've already done things that a man with more morals would regret, and I still don't. I don't regret breaking you out of prison, I don't regret stealing a boat, I don't regret attacking the Navy and freeing you a _second time_, and I don't regret re-joining you. I'm not gonna regret this, either. I already promised you, _Captain_.'

Jack stared at him long and hard, but when he opened his mouth to respond he was interrupted by the barrelman

'They're striking, Captain!' the pirate announced from high above.

Jack frowned, while beside him Will looked confused. They both turned to look over the railing at the ship up ahead. While they'd been speaking Mr Gibbs had guided the _Pearl _towards the other ship, and they'd eaten up the distance. Jack didn't say that _Pearl _was the fastest ship on the seven seas for nothing.

'Surrendering, lad,' Gibbs explained to Will when he joined them. 'They've lowered their colours.'

'Oh,' Will said. He turned to Jack. 'That's good, right?'

'Maybe,' Jack hummed. 'Or maybe they wanna lull us into a false sense of security and strike when our guard's lowered. Be on the lookout, Mr Gibbs,' he ordered the first mate. 'We'll draw up alongside her. Me, Will, and five others will board. Prepare arms just in case.'

'Aye, aye,' Gibbs replied and went to inform the crew.

'Get what yeh need, lad,' Jack then ordered Will. 'But keep yeh sword sheathed while we board.'

'Aye, aye,' Will echoed Gibbs and hurried to grab a dagger and maybe another sword. It was better to be over-prepared than under.

* * *

**Barrelman: **A sentry/lookout in the crow's nest

**Masthead: **Crow's nest

**Bulwark: **The wall/railing at the side of a ship's deck that keeps water from overflowing the deck and crew from falling overboard

**Striking: **Lowering the colours (flag) to show surrender


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

* * *

**Warnings: **Violence, language

**Lyrics: **Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me) by Xavier Atencio and George Burns

**Author's Note: **Another new chapter 'cause I had it written AND it's about an hour until 2014 for me, so I figured I'd do something to make other people smile while I'm in a foul mood. Anywho, enjoy!

{Dreamer}

* * *

The _Pearl _glided up alongside the merchant vessel, which was much smaller than the black ship. Will spied gold painting on the hull, but couldn't make out the name as they passed. As soon as they were alongside her, Jack's crew threw ropes across and then swung over themselves, quickly securing the two ships together. A wide plank was laid over both bulwarks and Jack walked over first, followed closely by Will, a cleaned-up Gabe, Anamaria, and three other pirates Will didn't yet know the name of.

Will's right hand immediately went to the hilt of his cutlass, but he didn't draw it per Jack's instructions. Most of the merchant sailors were gathered by the main mast, all wearing trousers and blue jackets.

'What's with the uniform?' was Jack's first question, and a tall, fat man waddled forward.

'Greetings,' he said in a thick voice, 'I'm the captain of this fine vessel. What business do you have?'

Jack's eyebrows climbed and he spun to look at his gathered crew. 'What business do we have, lads and lass?'

The crew snickered, and Will cracked a smile as Jack spun back around.

'What business do I have?' he echoed and put both hands on his hip. 'Well, I reckon I'll just sway in here and take all yer merchandise, and maybe yer ship, too.'

The captain scowled but he didn't move, nor did his sailors. Jack waved a hand at Anamaria without turning.

'Just stay there, lads, while the lady checks things out.'

Anamaria immediately darted off, running her hands along the railings and masts she could reach before drifting up to the helm.

'Please,' the captain suddenly spoke. 'We have passengers aboard.'

'Any women or children?' Jack asked.

The captain frowned. 'No.'

'Then I don't care, mate,' Jack shrugged. 'Got a bit of a soft spot for the little lads and lasses, and the fairer sex when they ain't slapping me, but other than that, well...' he tisked and cocked his head. 'Yer shit outta luck, savvy?'

The captain's frown darkened.

'What are yeh hauling?' was Jack's next question.

'Food, clothing, nothing of terrible importance,' the captain told him. 'Really, we're not worth your trouble.'

'I'll be the judge of that,' Jack said.

Will kept scanning the sailors and crew- there were about six sailors that he could see, and nobody that appeared to be a passenger; all the gathered men were wearing the same uniform. Will didn't know a lot about ships, true, but even he could tell that this one appeared to be in terrible shape; it was small, the deck beneath their feet was chipped and split in numerous places, the masts creaked ominously, and the sails were torn and fraying. He didn't think Anamaria would want the ship; it'd be a mercy to burn it down, truth be told.

'So yeh want the ship, Ana?' Jack asked when he spotted Anamaria heading back towards them.

The female pirate scowled and stomped over to the two captains. 'Too small,' she announced. 'This thing wouldn't last against even the smallest of Navy vessels. And she's called the _St Sebastian_.' Anamaria threw her hands up. 'What the hell kinda name is _that_? I don' wanna sail a fuckin' _saint_! I'm a pirate, not a nun!'

There was a flicker of movement to Will's right and he turned towards it. Most of the gathered crew had remained completely still while Jack and his pirates boarded, so it caught Will's attention. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw the man, dressed in the same uniform the crew of the ship wore, levelling a pistol at Jack. He had it cocked, the weapon resting on his left arm, and Will moved before he could think.

His right hand snaked into his waistcoat and he drew his dagger. In the blink of an eye he threw it across the deck. The blade embedded itself in the man's throat and a spurt of blood as well as a gurgled scream were all Jack's crew needed.

They broke into action as more sailors appeared from behind masts and heaps of equipment, all with swords or pistols. All of their shots went wide; they were sailors, not soldiers, and Jack's crew were seasoned fighters.

Jack and Will both threw themselves into the fray, Will slicing at two, three, four men; he aimed for their chests and arms, looking to incapacitate, not kill, if he could help it. The fourth one he felled tried to get up, and stabbed his sword at Will's leg, but Will was quicker. He jumped over the weapon and stabbed the man in the arm, drawing a howl of pain. He dropped his sword and Will picked it up, now using two blades to cut down the enemy.

The fight was over before it could really begin and the pirates herded the crew still alive into the middle of the deck between the captains. The _St Sebastian's_ captain was pale and sweating now, and Jack tisked as he swayed before the fat man.

'Ana?' Jack suddenly shouted, and Anamaria swaggered forward. 'Still think it's too small?' Jack asked her.

'Aye,' Anamaria nodded. 'I need a good, strong ship, Captain. And this ain't a good, strong ship. Too small, and needs too many repairs.'

'_You_ were just gonna stand there and let yeh crew do all the work, weren't yeh?' Jack shook his head as he turned his attention back to the captain. 'Yeh put yer crew in danger, but not yerself?' He levelled his bloody sword at the man's throat. 'Yer a poor excuse for a captain, but I ain't gonna kill yeh.'

'Y-You're not?' the man stuttered.

Jack shook his head again. 'I'm gonna dump yeh overboard with the rest of 'em,' he explained. 'But I reckon yeh crew and passengers have a lot to the think about. They're gonna remember yer cowardice as they slowly starve to death. See, when the lovely Anamaria here told me that she didn't want the ship, I was gonna let yeh go 'cause I'm a kind soul like that. But _now_...' he trailed off and looked around.

His eyes found Will's before skimming over the younger man, as though checking for injuries. When he was satisfied that Will was okay, he turned back to the captain.

'Now I'm gonna burn yer ship down,' Jack announced. 'Gabe, Nutter, Chuckie, Moon; find the gun powder!'

Gabe and three other pirates all shouted, 'Aye,' and hurried below deck.

'Anamaria,' Jack said, glancing at the woman, 'get a few more hands and grab whatever looks good; food, clothing, _everything_. Take it back to _Pearl_.'

'Aye, aye, Captain,' Anamaria said and she and the others hurried to do as ordered.

Will closed the distance between him and Jack and looked at the captain as he said, 'What will I do?'

'Help me heard this lot onto the lifeboats,' Jack said.

'Aye, aye,' Will nodded.

They were moving all the crew towards the lifeboats lashed to the portside of the _St Sebastian_ when Will, once again, had to draw a blade. The sailors had all been forced into three lifeboats- there were six, and the others would be needed for the passengers, no doubt- and the captain was the last to go. He panicked as he was forced against the railing by Jack and spun faster than his weight would suggest, a pistol in his hand. But before he could press it to Jack's temple or chest, Will had the blade of his cutlass pressed against the man's throat.

'Raise that pistol any further and I shall slit your throat,' Will growled in the fat man's ear. 'And it shan't be a painless death.'

The captain's eyes bulged and darted from Will to Jack and back again. Jack had his back to the man, eyes on Will, and he and the blacksmith stared at each other until the captain finally dropped his weapon. Jack stooped to pick it up and Will kept his cutlass to the captain's throat.

'Get on the lifeboat,' Will ordered.

The sailor hastily did as asked, stumbling and huffing as he sloppily thumped onto the small boat. As soon as he was in Will waved cheerily and slashed at the ropes keeping the boat attached to the _St Sebastian _and hovering over the water.

It fell quickly, the screams of the sailors following its path down. It hit the water with a mighty _splash_, and Will and Jack peered over the bulwark to see the boat bobbing roughly from side to side as it slowly drifted away.

'Oh,' Will suddenly hummed, drawing Jack's attention, 'I forgot to throw some food in.' He continued to stare at the life-raft before shrugging. 'Oh, well.' And with that he re-sheathed his cutlass, saluted Jack, and wandered off to continue working.

Jack watched him go, his eyebrows up, his dark eyes wide.

'_Lower the sails_!' a high-pitched voice suddenly chirped in Jack's ear, and the captain scowled as he turned to find Mr Cotton and his ruddy bird standing beside him.

'I'm getting a cat!' Jack announced, arms splayed wide. 'And it's gonna eat _you_, Mr Cotton's parrot!'

'_Argh, don't eat me!_' the parrot squawked and hid its head beneath its wing.

'First thing on the menu!' Jack warned. 'Parrot wings!'

'Leave the bird alone, Captain!' Will shouted across the deck. Jack looked up to see the lad with a barrel of rum over one shoulder. 'You'll want this in your quarters, I presume?' Will asked with an amused tilt to his lips.

Jack grinned and did his usual drunken-stagger as he bounded over to Will's side. 'Aw, lad, yeh take good care o' me, yeh do,' Jack cooed. He patted the barrel, then Will's arse, grinning widely when Will yelped and scowled at him. 'On with yeh, Mr Turner!' Jack ordered.

Will grumbled and swore under his breath, but muttered, 'Aye, Captain,' and went on his way.

'So what are yeh gonna do about that one, eh, Captain?'

Jack turned to look at Anamaria, who had trousers and jackets over her shoulders, boots tied around her arms. 'What's that?' he demanded.

'What's what?' Anamaria replied. She hefted one of her arms. 'These? These here are Naval uniforms, Captain,' she grinned along with Jack, the captain then laughing.

'Oh, aye, those'll come in handy,' Jack mused, already thinking about the loot he could get if he had a few of the crew dressed up as Royal Navy sailors. William in particular would look dashing in one of the tight-red jackets and white breeches.

'And what of young Mr Turner?' Anamaria broke into his musing.

'What of him?' Jack replied.

'Yeh gonna just tease him forever, Captain?' Anamaria asked. 'Or yeh gonna do somethin'?'

Jack flapped a dismissive hand at her. 'We've been at sea a day, Ana. I'll get him, you mark my words.'

'Oh, I don't think that yeh won't,' Anamaria nodded.

'So why are yeh wondering'?' Jack demanded.

Anamaria's dark eyes light up, and she leaned closer. 'Got some bets with the boys, yeh see,' she whispered conspiratorially. 'Mr Gosh, Misty, Nutter and Moon reckon the boy's a eunuch. Mr Jellicoe, Mr Forsyth and Tiny reckon he only fancies the fairer sex.'

'And the rest of the crew?' Jack asked.

Ana's grin widened. 'Well, the rest o' the crew are bettin' on how long it'll be before the boy's in yer bed screamin' yer name.'

Jack puffed out his chest, a grin on his lips, clearly pleased that most of the crew knew that Will _would _be his. The lad already was, he just didn't know it.

'If yeh get him before the week's out,' Anamaria continued, 'I win everythin'. The week af'er that, it's Mr Gibbs. Another week and it's Gabe, and so on and so forth.'

'Well,' Jack smirked, 'I'll be sure to inform you lovely scallywags when I finally bed Mr William Turner.'

'Oh, haven't yeh heard what they're callin' him yet?' Anamaria asked as Jack examined one of the jackets wrapped around her neck.

'What?' Jack prompted.

'William O' Bucket Turner,' Anamaria guffawed. 'Some fancy work with a bucket, that was. He'll never live it down.'

Jack just laughed and stood back. 'Back on the _Pearl _with yeh, Lady Ana.'

'Oi!' Anamaria huffed but started walking. 'I ain't no lady, Jack Sparrow. Call me that again and I'll fuck young William meself!'

'_What?!_' came Will's confused and highly embarrassed voice from the _Pearl_. Jack laughed harder than he had in weeks.

{oOo}

Will heard the song before he saw the pirates. He was walking with Mr Gibbs, who'd finally showed him the crew's quarters. The First Mate had his own room, as did the cook, and Anamaria took the final one (the room Will was going to be using as a smithy was actually private quarters, but Jack had given it to him anyway).

Gibbs got his own quarters because of his position, as did Mr Gosh, but Anamaria hadn't gotten her own room because she was a woman, like Will had assumed. She'd been happy in the crew's quarters until she'd moved to her own; apparently one of the crew had tried to climb into her bunk and she'd stabbed him. Jack had thought it safer- for the crew- if Anamaria bunked alone.

'_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!_' the crew were singing loudly and off-key. Will smiled as he and Mr Gibbs entered the mess room, which was just off of the galley. '_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot! Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

Jack was sitting at the head of the longest table, which was in the middle of the room. There were smaller ones, enough for maybe two to eat if they squished together, crammed into the corners, but most of the crew were crowded around the main table.

'_We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot_!' Jack shouted and downed a large swill of his rum.

'_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_' Mr Gibbs joined in. He clapped Will on the back, and Will was drawn into the song.

'_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_,' Will sang with the rest of them, '_we extort, we pilfer, we filch, and sack! Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

Anamaria and Gabe suddenly jumped onto the table along with a red-haired, pale man whom Will didn't know the name of. They started singing at the top of their lungs, rum slushing from their mugs, arms wrapped around each other.

'_Maraud and embezzle, and even high-jack! Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

'Aye!' half of the crew shouted, and Will was tossed into Jack's side, the captain beaming brightly at him.

'Join in, Mr Turner!' Jack ordered, and the crew all turned to grin at him, making Will blush. But he knew an order when he heard one, so cleared his throat.

'_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_,' Will sang, '_we, uh..._'

'_We kindle and char, inflame and ignite!_' Gabe took up the song.

'_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_' Will knew that part.

'_We burn up the city, we're really a fright! Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

'_We're rascals_!' Jack shouted and shot to his feet, swaying back and forth- either on his own or because of the _Pearl_, Will couldn't tell. '_Scoundrels, villans, and knaves!_'

'_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_' the crew chorused.

'_We're devils and black sheep, and really bad eggs,_' Jack led the song.

'_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

Jack wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders and pulled him tight, and suddenly a mug of rum was thrust into Will's hands. He took a healthy swig without blinking, and Jack was smiling at him as they sang.

'_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads! Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!_'

'_Aye!_' Mr Gosh shouted as he suddenly appeared, a very large, very heavy-looking steel pot in his hands. '_But we're loved by our mummies and dads!_'

And then, the crew finished the song together, all screaming and swaying and sloshing rum about, '_DRINK UP, ME 'EARTIES, YO HO!_'

There were cheers and swears and bangs as pirates bashed the tables, the walls, the floor or each other. Will would have been tossed around in the unfamiliar merriment if it wasn't for Jack's firm grasp around him. And, if Will happened to snuggle closer while he had the chance, well... nobody had to know.

Mr Gosh dropped the pot into the middle of the table and called, 'Sit down, yeh cads, grubs up!' There were more cheers- most drunk, pirates really didn't mess about with their liquor- and Mr Cotton, Misty, and another pirate appeared from the doorway Mr Gosh had come through with bowls and spoons. 'Got some nice ol' beef and potato stew fer yeh bastards,' Mr Gosh said. 'Tomorrow it's pork and bacon and whatever else I can cut off o' the swine Mr Cotton brought aboard from the ship we burned.'

'_Argh, don't eat the parrot!_' Mr Cotton's parrot screeched.

'The parrot's next week!' Anamaria called from where she was still standing on the table.

'Get yer arse off of the table!' Jack shouted. 'Didn't yer mumma teach yeh any manners?'

'Pardon me, Captain Sparrow, _sir_,' Anamaria said in a sickly-sweet voice. She bowed from the waist-down and hopped off of the table with Gabe's help, Jack chuckling as she went. 'If me mumma taught me anythin' it was to grab life by the bollocks!' she added.

'Yeh can grab me by the bollocks,' one of the crew jeered.

'Oh, yeah?' Anamaria asked, looking him over. 'Sorry, mate, but I prefer a good handful, not a tea-spoon.'

The crew roared with laughter and slapped the embarrassed pirate over the head, and he was pushed down towards the end of the table to sit opposite Anamaria, who grinned darkly at him.

Mr Gosh and some others dished out the stew, and as Will had come to expect, the pirates spoke with their mouths full., laughing and drinking as they did. He sat back beside Jack, quiet as he watched the dinner unfold. He'd had many dinners in Tortuga, and in pubs in Port Royal, too, that were similar to this.

Will had loved it far more than the stuffy, near-silent dinners at Governor Swann's house. Despite Elizabeth's constant complaints about how her father wanted her to act like a "proper lady" ('_A post twat, Will!_' she'd grumbled to him time and time again), Elizabeth had known what to do, how to act, how to eat and sit and just what to say.

Will had never been more lost in his life. Stick him in a blacksmith and he was at home; toss him into a pub full of smoke and raucous laughter, and Will could adapt; sit him at a table with Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington and a bunch of other important, self-important men? Will wanted to escape before he'd even entered the room.

'Yeh alright, Willie?' Jack broke into his thoughts.

Will nodded, a smile on his lips, before he registered what Jack had called him. He turned to scowl at the captain and hissed, 'Jack I asked you _not to call me that_!'

Jack just grinned, like the bastard he was. 'I'm the Captain, _Willie_,' the older man teased. 'I'll call me crew what I want, savvy?'

Will's scowl darkened but he grumbled and stuck a spoonful of stew into his mouth. It was pretty good; the meat wasn't all-fat like in Tortuga, and it was actually filling, unlike the starter soups he'd eaten at Elizabeth's house. He licked the spoon and his lips before going for another mouthful, completely ignorant of the way Jack was staring at him.

'Food's gettin' cold, Captain,' Mr Gosh suddenly nudged him, drawing both Jack and Will's attention. 'Or did you fancy eatin' in your quarters from now on?' Mr Gosh grinned.

'Shut up, yeh bastard, or I'll go back to callin' yeh Alexander Fitzpatrick every goddamn day!'

The pirates closest to Jack and Will laughed, while Gosh scowled at the captain, but didn't say a word.

'Er... Alexander Fitzpatrick?' Will questioned after he'd swallowed, confused.

'His real name, lad,' the pale, red-haired pirate to Will's left spoke up. 'Hates it somethin' fierce, he does.'

'Oh, like _you _go around introducing yourself as Henry Savock?' Gosh demanded.

The red-haired pirate huffed and went back to his food.

'Nah, he prefers Moon, don't yah, Moons?' the pirate to Moon's left piped in, jabbing the pale man in the side with an elbow.

'Get off!' Moon snapped.

'Do you all have nicknames?' Will asked, curious.

'Most of us do, lad,' the pirate who'd teased Moon nodded. 'Me name's Julian, and that's all yeh'll get from me. Blokes 'round here call me Dol.'

''Cause he swims like a dolphin!' someone else shouted before Will could ask.

'And we call this one 'ere Moon 'cause he likes takin' his pants off,' Dol let out a breathy laugh. 'Are is paler than the fuckin' moon, it is!'

Moon was blushing, his pale complexion hiding nothing, and Will chuckled along with the rest.

'Gosh is the best bloody nickname, though,' Anamaria spoke up from the other end of the table.

'How'd you get that nickname?' Will asked.

The cook, who had sat himself at one of the single-tables, just scowled.

''E swears like a fuckin' sailor!' Anamaria shouted, voice somewhat drowned out by the pint of rum she was apparently trying to swim in. When she resurfaced, she scrubbed at her mouth and continued. 'Should hear him, Mr Turner!'

'Fucking fuck this fucking shit, bloody fucking damn it!' Dol rattled off, doing a good impression of Gosh.

'Who the fuck put their bloody fucking shit in my galley, those little fucking nosy twats!' Moon took over.

'Mother fucking bloody cocks, bloody shit _gosh_!'

The entire crew had yelled the last word, and Will looked around in confusion as they all slammed their cups or bowls against the table and howled with laughter.

'He can't say _god_, lad,' Jack finally explained. 'He'll say every bloody swear under the sun- words that'd make any sailor blush- and all with _gosh _instead of _god_. Couldn't pillage for a good month after the first time I heard him.'

'Shut up, you wankers!' Mr Gosh snarled. 'Or I'll put toenails into your food!'

The crew had a hard time reining themselves in- even Will, who was know imagining the man swearing this way and that- but eventually they did. Mr Gosh's threats weren't idle, after all.

'Hey, mate, do you ever swear?' one of the pirates near Anamaria suddenly asked.

The room went silent until Will looked up and realised that they were talking to him. 'What?'

That got a few snickers, before the crew-mate repeated his question.

'Uh... yes?' Will ventured. 'I just don't see the need to curse at every available opportunity.'

'Oh, that's me William,' Jack chuckled. 'Mouth's too pretty for such foul words.'

'My mouth isn't pretty!' Will snapped.

''Course it is,' Jack replied. 'And so's the rest of yeh.'

'I'm not pretty!' Will growled. 'Nor am I adorable, or... or...'

'Or...?' Jack hummed.

'Or anything else you might be thinking!' Will retorted.

Jack just stared at him, blinked, stared some more, then took a swig of rum and turned to the crew. 'My bonny, beautiful, pillaging crew. Is Mr Turner a pretty young thing?'

There was no hesitation; a very, very loud chorus of, '_AYE!_' went up, and Will slid lower in his seat, fuming and blushing in equal parts.

'See?' Jack grinned, turning to the blacksmith. 'What the captain says goes, lad. And yer pretty; get used to it.'

'Shut up,' Will grumbled.

'Don' be like that, O' Bucket,' Moon said. 'Yeh can defend yerself; ain't nothin' to be ashamed of, bein' pretty.'

Will frowned. 'What did you call me?'

'O' Bucket,' Moon repeated.

Will's frown deepened, and he was almost afraid to ask... 'O' Bucket?'

'S'ya name, lad,' Moon explained. 'Like, "O', there's a bucket, might use that as a bloody shield!"'

The inebriated crew roared with laughter and more than one hand was slapped against Will's back.

'William O' Bucket Turner!' one shouted, and Will turned wide doe-eyes on Jack.

'Sorry, mate,' the captain laughed. 'Nicknames are like that. Take Misty; we call 'im that 'cause he can see through mist and fog like nobody else.'

'And I'm Nutter 'cause I give yeh a swift kick in the manhood when yer down!' Nutter shouted.

'What about you?' Will asked Jack.

'I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, love,' Jack said, toasting Will with his mug of rum. 'I flutter about, in and out of trouble, like a little sparrow.'

'I don't think his real first name is Jack,' Gibbs piped in. 'When I met him everyone called him Little Jack. Never knew him by any other name 'til he suddenly introduced himself teh me as Jack Sparrow years later.'

'_Captain _Jack Sparrow!' Jack corrected with a pointed finger.

'Aye, Captain!' Gibbs responded and saluted him.

'Aye, Captain!' the rest of the crew joined in, and Will smiled as he said, 'Aye.'

{oOo}

'I'll sleep well tonight,' Will yawned as he and Jack walked through the _Pearl_. Jack was heading topside, while Will was going to crawl into his bunk and pass out, hopefully until morning.

'You'll definitely sleep well on _Pearl_, love,' Jack said, bumping the younger man's shoulder with his own. 'Yeh were made for the sea, remember?'

'Mm,' Will nodded. He was thoroughly exhausted after the day's events; first hunting through Tortuga for the crew, then for tools; and then the fight with Gabe and the fight on the _St Sebastian_. Had it really only been a day? Will felt like it'd been longer.

Suddenly Jack stopped and Will bumped into him. Jack's warm, calloused hands grabbed at Will's arms, and Will smiled at him. 'Thank you, Jack.

'S'alright, lad,' Jack said, but didn't let him go.

'No, thank you for letting me aboard,' Will explained. 'I had nowhere to go and you took me in.'

'I couldn't leave yeh behind, William,' Jack said honestly. 'Not a second time.'

Will smiled brightly and suddenly leaned forward, wrapping his arms around the captain and pulling him in for a hug. Jack didn't hesitate to hug back, or press his entire body against Will's. He felt Will shiver slightly against him and grinned; the boy definitely wanted him. All he had to do was work at it a bit more, make Will comfortable, and the lad would be his.

_Forever_, Jack promised himself silently. Unfortunately, Will soon let him go and clapped Jack on the shoulder.

'Thanks again,' he said and turned to walk the rest of the way to the crew's quarters. He should be with Jack, but... not yet. Let the lad get comfortable, first.

'Night, William,' Jack called and turned before he could chase after the younger man and _haul _him to the captain's cabin. The _Pearl _creaked around him as Jack made his way topside, and he chuckled as he ran his fingers along the staircase railing. 'Easy, love,' he patted the ship. 'He'll be up here soon enough. We won't let him go this time, will we?'

The _Pearl _rolled gently through the waves, and her sails fluttered in the cool sea breeze; she definitely wanted Will to stay.

'Atta girl,' Jack patted the wheel fondly when he reached it. 'Now, let's get to Port Twelves.' He gripped the stokes with both hands and felt the wheel move beneath his hands, turning the _Pearl _more north-east. 'Atta girl,' Jack repeated with a smile.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey, look at that! I kind of came up with something resembling a plot. It's a bit... uh, all over the place, really, with little plots rather than one continuing one. If I stick to what I've written down, this story should have about 24 chapters. Of course, that usually changes with me, so it could have more or less. We'll see what happens :)

Anywho, on with the story!

{Dreamer}

* * *

Scrubbing the deck, Will decided, was the absolute worst job aboard a ship. Not that Will knew what every job entailed; he was mostly busy with keeping the cannons working, cleaning weapons, and fixing up furniture and the odd railing. He'd also proven to be rather skilled with a needle and thread; most pirates used their torn clothing for rags and pillows rather than fixing them, but Will had been patching up his own clothes for as long as he could remember.

He had fond memories of sitting in the small kitchen with his mother in England, the two either quiet or chatting softly about one subject or another as they mended their clothes. Will had been a rather small child, and when he'd grown it had only been by half an inch at the most every year, so his mother had simply made his shirts and trousers bigger, rather than wasting precious money on new clothing.

So a few days into his voyage aboard the _Pearl_, Anamaria and Gabe had stumbled across him mending one of Jack's shirts, his eyes focused on the small, bent needle as he threaded it through the white cloth.

'What are yeh doin'?' Anamaria asked, looking curious.

Will was sitting on the deck in the shade of one of the sails, his back to the mast. Jack's shirt was spread over his legs and he had a small box of thread, needles, and buttons he'd collected over the years by his hip.

'Mending one of Jack's shirts,' Will answered without looking up. 'Can you believe that he was going to throw it out?' he then asked and held the shirt up. There was a tear beneath the armpit, about four inches wide, and Will was sewing the material back together with a piece of yellow thread; it was the lightest colour he had.

'You can sew?' Gabe asked.

'Of course I can,' Will said. He finally looked up to see the two pirates wearing gobsmacked expressions. 'What?' he asked.

'Well, look at that,' Anamaria grinned. 'Yer good at everythin', ain't ya?'

Will blushed and shrugged one shoulder as he went back to work.

'Reckon yeh can mend a pair of me trousers?' Anamaria asked. 'Got a rip in the arse, was gonna chuck 'em out.'

'I can do that,' Will nodded.

'What about my favourite coat?' Gabe then asked, looking excited. 'I haven't worn it in a good three months 'cause the sleeve's almost falling off. Haven't had the heart to chuck it out.'

'That might take me a bit longer,' Will murmured.

'I'll give you my rum rations for the next three days if you can mend it,' Gabe said.

Will grinned at that. He was definitely a pirate; he liked rum far too much now. 'Deal,' he said, and Gabe and Anamaria scurried off to get their clothes.

Since then, Will had mended another six shirts, a pair of drawers, and a blanket. He'd even re-sewn the inner-lining of Jack's captain's hat back together. Jack had looked ready to cry when he put the hat back on, the garment now sitting snuggling on his head.

Sewing was fine; Will could handle sewing for _hours_. He could handle sitting on his arse for three hours mending a table or a chair or even one of the sails. Give him a dull, nicked sword, and he could polish and sharpen the thing in under half-an-hour. But scrubbing the deck? It was hell, pure and simple.

A lot of work went into keeping a deck in good condition, Will found. It was mopped twice a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon when the Caribbean sun started to set and the sweltering heat became bearable. At least once every two or three days, one of the crew would be charged with inspecting every inch of the deck for cracks; when the wood dried, the planks shrank and moved apart, so old rope would be stuck into each crack and lathered with pine tar. When that was hammered in with a mallet, a bucket of seawater was then poured over the deck and scrubbed in with a mop or broom, usually two or three times. Only when Jack had inspected the entire ship and declared it good would the crew be allowed to rest.

Will was a blacksmith first and foremost, but caring for the ship fell under the job descriptions of every pirate aboard, Jack included. Jack didn't scrub the deck, of course, but he still inspected it every day. Four days after they'd left Tortuga, Mr Gibbs had clapped Will on the shoulder at breakfast and declared that he, Gabe, and Tiny- a giant of a man with a shaved head and bushy beard- would be caulking and scrubbing the deck.

It was about nine, and the sun was high in the sky, but a cool sea breeze made the work bearable as they started. Will was given a pile of old, slightly decaying rope, as well as a bucket of thick black tar. Jack had marked the areas that needed to be caulked and Will, Gabe and Tiny got to work.

The tar stunk, and it burned Will's wrists were the gloves he'd borrowed from Moon road up. The fumes made the blacksmith light-headed, and his arms soon ached from hammering the tar-covered rope into the cracks.

'Scrubbin' the deck's easy afta' this, mate,' Tiny told him in his deep, booming voice. He was hunched over beside Will, while Gabe was a few feet away. 'Shouldn' take us more than a few hours.'

Will just nodded and grit his teeth, trying not to pass out.

They'd take a break when they were done, because they usually finished just after midday, when the sun was high in the sky and the deck was sweltering hot. Whoever was on deck-duty would be allowed to sit below deck or in the shade and sip their extra rum and nibble on whatever food Gosh could be convinced to let go. Will played a game of cards with Gabe and Tiny that first day, some game that he'd never played before, and that Gabe and Tiny cheated at ruthlessly.

Will was a quick learner, though, and later that afternoon when they got back to work his pockets were swollen with coins and stale bread. He could see Jack watching him from the helm, a proud grin on his face.

Mopping or sweeping the deck was a blessing after the earlier work, and Will, Gabe and Tiny sang songs either under their breath or loudly as they made their way up the deck and then back down again. Crew-mates working near them often joined in, and Anamaria and Misty seemed to have some type of competition going to make the song as filthy and incomprehensible as possible. By the end of the day Will's stomach hurt from both working and laughing, and Tiny was threatening to carry him to the mess if he didn't move his arse.

Now here Will was again, five days at sea, and caulking the deck _again_. He was half-tempted to trade in a few days' rum ration just to relax a bit. His fingers were aching, his back stung from the sunburn he'd got two days prior, and his knees throbbed from kneeling on the deck for hours on end.

Jack, being the bastard that he was, was lounging atop a heap of folded sails and rope, drinking the day away and watching Will work.

'Yer skin's looking terrible, William!' Jack called.

Will sighed. He wasn't exactly pale, but he wasn't as tanned as the rest of the crew, what with being used to working indoors all day. His entire back, neck, and arms had turned bright red at the end of his first deck-duty day, and he'd started to peel halfway through the night. Now every time he rubbed his arms flakes of skin would flutter free, leaving behind bright pink skin.

'I know, Jack,' he grumbled as he hammered another piece of tar-drenched rope into one of the cracks between two planks. 'I see it every time I rub my arm.'

'Should keep yer shirt on, then,' Jack commented. There was a pause, before, 'Or don't, I actually like this view better.'

Will looked over his shoulder to see Jack grinning at him from ear-to-ear. The captain was well on his way to being drunk- or already drunk, Will _really _couldn't tell the difference- and saluted Will with his quarter-empty bottle of rum.

Will rolled his eyes, swore under his breath, and went back to work. Today it was Misty and another pirate, Chuckie, working on the deck with Will, and both were on the starboard side. Jack had plonked himself down behind Will a good two hours ago and didn't look like he'd be moving any time soon.

'Don't you have something to do, Captain?' Will asked.

'Like what?' Jack replied.

'Like leave me alone?' Will growled.

Jack laughed. 'I'm supervisin', love. It's a captain's prerogative to watch his crew.'

Will snorted and shook his head, but didn't say anything. It was times like this that reminded Will that Jack wasn't the idiot Norrington- and no doubt countless others- thought he was. Jack might not have received a good eduction like Elizabeth and Norrington, but he had a good head on his shoulders, and he knew how to get by in life. He was smarter than Will, that was for sure.

'Captain!'

Will heard Jack groan and smirked when Mr Gibbs walked across the deck.

'I'm busy!' Jack whined.

'What, busy starin' at Mr Turner's arse?' Mr Gibbs quipped.

Will blushed but kept his eyes on the rope he was working with as Jack said, 'None of yer business! I'll stare at what I want.'

'Aye, I know that, Captain,' Gibbs snorted. '_Pearl's _startin' teh pull more north, and we're wantin' teh go north-west. I was wonderin' if yer wanting me teh trust _Pearl _or did yeh wanna talk teh her?'

Jack groaned and Will heard him get to his feet. 'Bloody wench, can't even give me ten minutes of peace,' Jack grumbled. He stamped his foot and said, 'Yeh hear that? I thought yeh wanted me to get him!'

_Pearl _creaked in the sea, and Will froze, wondering if he was about to go flying across the deck. At first he'd been sceptical- well, really he'd just thought that Jack was insane- but now he knew better; _Pearl _could definitely communicate when she wanted, and she could do it violently if one of the crew had pissed her off. It was usually Jack getting tossed aside, cursing and shaking his fist at the ship. Will just made sure to pet the walls, mast, or railing whenever he was walking. _Pearl _seemed to like that, because she'd never tossed him aside.

'Keep working, lad!' Jack said and clapped Will on the shoulder. Will winced as his skin prickled and Jack laughed. 'Yeh'll be tan soon enough. Just keep yer shirt off at all times, is my advice.'

Will rolled his eyes and finally looked up. 'Are you sure you just don't want to see me half-naked, Jack?'

Jack grinned wolfishly at him. 'How about _completely _naked?' Will blushed, and Jack grinned before following Mr Gibbs to the helm.

Across the deck, Misty and Chuckie shook their heads at each other.

'That boy ain't no eunuch,' Chuckie said as he hammered another length of rope into the _Pearl's _deck.

'Aye, I see that now,' Misty huffed. 'But Anamaria won't let me change me bet.'

'Offer her some rum,' Chuckie suggested.

'It's _my _rum!' Misty whined.

Chuckie just laughed and looked back up to see Mr Turner back at work. O' Bucket was a hard worker, that much was true. And madly in love with the captain; the whole crew could see that. Now it was just a patient wait to see who'd win the pool.

{oOo}

Will was down in the underbelly of the _Pearl _fixing some of the bars in the brig. The wood around them had rotted and all it would take was a good, swift kick to have them loose. So Will had brought in some fresh wood that they'd taken from the _St Sebastian_ and was reinforcing the cells as best he could. He'd need proper tools and a lot more time to fix them properly, but he was hoping that after they pillaged the merchant vessel sailing out of Port Twelves they could stop somewhere else for Will to stock up properly.

Jack found him sitting on the floor of one of the cells, his legs bent as he tried to keep the bars in place. They'd warped over the long hot days and it was taking all of Will's strength to keep them straight so that he could hammer a piece of wood in to keep them in place.

'What are yeh doing?' Jack asked, leaning against the bars.

Will scowled at him. 'If you're not going to help, then please step _back _from the bars so I can finish!'

Jack raised his hands in surrender and stepped back. He watched Will huff and puff before finally getting the bar right. Will wedged a two-by-four against the bar and then hurriedly grabbed his mallet and wood and got to work. The _thump, thump, thump _of the mallet hitting the wood echoed throughout the brig, and Jack was silent, while Will gritted his teeth and took heavy breaths. When he was finally done the blacksmith inspected his work, found it satisfactory, and then groaned as he flopped back onto the oily floor.

'Alright there, mate?' Jack called.

'Exhausted,' Will answered honestly. 'Who was doing all these repairs before I came aboard?'

Jack scratched at his goatee as he hummed. 'Well... no one, really,' he admitted. Will lifted his head to scowl at the captain. 'What?' Jack huffed. 'Nobody on-board's as good as you are with yer hands, Willie.'

Will just rolled his eyes and flopped back down.

'Gonna need a bath after layin' on that floor,' Jack commented.

'Whatever,' Will groaned. Each pirate had access to the small bath room three times a week, but most of the crew traded in their time for more rum or food. Will didn't, because he liked to be clean, thank you very much. His next bath- which consisted of a large tub filled with heated-up salt water- wasn't until the day after tomorrow.

'Yeh can bathe in me cabin, if yeh want,' Jack said suddenly.

Will sat up properly, his eyebrows raised as he looked at his captain. 'Excuse me?'

'Yeh've been working hard, love,' Jack shrugged. 'And yeh got deck-duty tomorrow.' Will whined and Jack chuckled. 'Come on mate, up yeh get,' Jack ordered, clapping his hands together.

Will sighed but did as asked; there wasn't much more he could do down here without the proper tools, anyway. He gathered what he'd brought down and stuffed it all into his leather rucksack before swinging it over his shoulder and following Jack.

'Must be different,' Jack commented, 'moving onto a ship when yeh used to have access to as many baths and as much food as you wanted.'

Will snorted. 'Are you serious?' When Jack just raised his eyebrows, Will shook his head. 'I had more money than I did when I was in Tortuga, true, but I didn't have a lot. I was just a blacksmith's apprentice, remember? Everybody thought that all those swords were the work of Mr Brown. So I had a pittance that I had to squirrel away to buy food and clothing and anything else I fancied.'

'What about Elizabeth?' Jack queried.

'What about her?' Will chuckled. 'She bought me all the fine clothes I ever owned only because her father would sneer at me if I walked into their manor house in my blacksmith clothes. Even she turned her nose up at me sometimes, and this was _after _our pirate adventure with you and Barbossa.' Will shook his head. 'Elizabeth is... I honestly can't explain it. She was fine with me being dirty and unwashed when we were out at sea, or even when she snuck out to visit me at the smithy, but in her house, amongst her father's and Norrington's friends?' Will shook his head again. 'Suddenly I wasn't good enough.'

Jack was silent as he processed Will's words. He'd never really thought about it before; Will and Elizabeth's relationship wouldn't have lasted, even if Will hadn't run off to be a pirate. Miss Elizabeth was a governor's daughter, Will was just a blacksmith. Of course, _Jack _knew that a person's occupation didn't mean squat, but those fancy folk were all about what you did for a living and who you socialised with.

'Well,' Jack finally said, 'maybe it's best that you left, eh?'

'Yes,' Will sighed, 'we weren't getting along at the end there. Elizabeth understood that I missed the sea, and the _Pearl_, but she couldn't understand me missing you.'

Jack stopped suddenly and Will did, too. 'Yeh told her yeh missed me?' the older man asked.

Will nodded. 'She kept making plans- wedding plans- and I kept forgetting. She'd come down to the blacksmith to see me only to be told by Mr Brown that I'd wandered off. She'd always find me down on the beach, my toes in the water.'

Will smiled softly at that, and Jack couldn't help but mirror the expression; he knew what it was like, trying to capture the feeling of being at sea, only to be stuck ashore.

'When she eventually found me,' Will continued, 'we'd talk a bit. She'd always ask what I was doing, what I was thinking, how I was feeling. And I told her the truth; you're not supposed to lie to the person you're about to marry, right?'

Jack just shrugged. He had no idea, as he never intended to get married. Then again, marrying Willie wouldn't be so bad...

'She was fine with me missing the sea and the boats and even the fighting,' Will said, 'but whenever I mentioned you, she got frustrated and yelled at me.' Will shook his head. 'Either she hated your guts for making me want to leave Port Royal, or she fancied you.'

'Fancied me?' Jack blurted, his eyes widened, and Will grinned at the look on his face.

'Well, you were the dashing pirate hero, remember?' Will teased. 'She's always romanticised pirates, ever since she was a little girl. Despite your less than stellar qualities, you were still a dream come true to her.'

Jack shook his head rapidly and waved a hand at Will. '_Never _say that again, William!' he ordered. 'I don't even wanna think about it.'

'What, a pretty lady fancying you?' Will laughed.

Jack wrinkled his nose. 'Miss Elizabeth was a brave lass, I'll admit that, and not lacking in the brains department. But she woulda wanted me to _change _and do things _her way _and _give up the sea_.' Jack gave a full body shudder at the very thought and poked his tongue out. 'Proper ladies ain't for me, William,' the captain said. 'I'll take a whore any day.'

Will chuckled. 'I can see how a whore would be preferable over some of Elizabeth's habits. Did you know that she wanted me to polish my boots before _every _visit? I'm a blacksmith, of course I'm going to have some type of grit on me!'

'Ah, women!' Jack shook his head. He slung an arm over Will's shoulders and tugged him back down the hall, the two heading for the stairs that'd take them topside. 'Don't understand 'em, mate, and never will.'

'Neither will I,' Will agreed. 'I don't think women and I mix.'

'For the best, lad,' Jack smiled. As they reached the stairs, he pulled Will closer and whispered in his ear, 'Always preferred men, meself.'

Will spluttered and tried to speak, but Jack let him go and climbed the stairs, grinning the entire time.

{oOo}

'Can I ask you something?'

Will and Jack were back below deck; Will mending a table that Misty and Moon had broken in a brawl the night before, and Jack drinking his rum and eating mouldy cheese with stale bread.

'What?' Jack mumbled around his mouthful.

'You knew my father,' Will stated, and the older man looked up at him.

He swallowed his mouthful and said, 'Yeah, but yeh knew that.'

'I know,' Will nodded, 'but I was wondering if you'd tell me about him?'

He looked so helpful, his brown eyes wide and pleading, and Jack sighed; how could he say no to that face? Will had better never find out, or soon enough _he'd _be running _Pearl _and Jack'd be at his beck and call twenty-four hours a day.

'I met yeh old man a fair few years ago,' Jack began, and Will went back to work, though his movements were a lot slower than before. 'Probably about... twenty or twenty-five years ago,' Jack said. 'He was older than me by a couple of years, but never looked down on me or the other lads. He was a kind man, Bootstrap, and an honourable one, despite being a pirate and all.'

'How'd he become a pirate?' Will interrupted.

'No idea, love,' Jack shrugged and swigged back a mouthful of rum. 'I heard him mention his father once- that'd be your granddad. Said something about him sailing the seven seas, but he coulda been a Navy sailor for all I know. Anyway, we served on two or three ships together before I became captain of the _Wicked Wench_.'

'The _Wicked Wench_?' Will asked, confused.

'Aye, the _Black Pearl _before she was sunk,' Jack said. 'I made a deal, but we won't get into that now. I was in an old pirate port, _Medusa_ it was called, but it was destroyed years ago by the British Navy. Found yer dad there and he was lookin' for work, so I invited him aboard _Pearl_. I wanted to make him me first mate, but he was always running off to see yer mum.'

Jack took another sip of rum before passing the bottle to Will. Will raised his eyebrows but when Jack didn't say anything he took the bottle, had a sip, and handed it back.

'Married her shortly after comin' aboard _Pearl_,' Jack continued. 'I never met her, and he didn't mention you until yeh were about five or six. Said yeh were the spittin' image of him and looked nothin' like yer mum.'

'She was blonde,' Will interrupted, his eyes on his hands. Jack glanced at him. 'I remember her hair glowing in the fire, and her eyes were as blue as the sea.'

Jack smiled softly and looked off at the wall, his eyes roaming over the dark wood. 'He talked about you and her non-stop when he could get away with it. Proudest dad I ever did see. Was even thinkin' of giving up being a pirate so he could spend time with yeh. I was marooned before that could happen.'

'And he was tied to a cannon ball,' Will sighed.

Jack nodded. 'Aye.'

'Do you think he's still alive?' Will questioned.

The captain shrugged. 'He was cursed, when he was sent to Davey Jones' locker. If he got himself off the cannon ball, he might have swam to shore somewhere. Yeh never know, lad.'

Will nodded before asking, 'Am I a lot like him?' Jack looked back at the younger man. 'You've mentioned it before.'

'Aye, yeh do bare a striking resemblance,' Jack nodded. 'Yer hair's longer than his, though, and yer softer in the face, a bit smaller, too. I reckon yeh got _some _of yeh looks from yeh dear mum, as well as her temperament.'

Will's eyebrows jumped. 'My temperament?'

'Yer dad never liked to start a fight,' Jack explained, 'and he slacked off whenever he could. Drank like a fish and couldn't handle a sword nearly as well as you.' Jack leaned forward and pointed his bottle of rum at the blacksmith. 'Don't get me wrong, lad, yer dad was a good man; one of the best I knew. But he was nowhere near as kind-hearted as you, or as clever. Yer sharper than him by a mile, and he wouldn't go to the lengths that you would over a friend or loved one. You and yer mum? Yeh, he'd have done anything for yeh. But he wouldn't have busted a pirate outta prison, or stolen a Navy ship, just to rescue a childhood friend.'

Will was silent as he digested that information, and Jack let him be, far more interested in his rum than digging into Will's more personal thoughts.

'I _thought _I loved Elizabeth,' Will finally murmured.

'Did yeh, though?' Jack asked. ''Cause even back then I could tell that yeh didn't love her like yeh claimed. It was the love someone has for a sibling or a really close friend. Not the love someone has for their soul-mate.'

Will looked up. 'Do you believe in soul-mates, Jack?'

'I believe in a lot of things, mate,' was all Jack said.

He saw the boy hesitate before Will licked his lips and asked, 'Did you love my father?'

Jack arched an eyebrow.

'The way you talk about him,' Will shrugged, 'I was just wondering.'

Jack chuckled and shook his head. 'Yeh look a _lot _like yer father, love, but not that much. Not so much that I forget that yer two different people.'

'That doesn't answer my question, Jack,' Will said.

'I loved yeh father,' Jack nodded, 'but I loved him like you loved Miss Elizabeth. As a friend, nothing more. He only liked women, and he was enamoured with yer mum by the time I really got to know him. There was never anything between us, lad.'

Will nodded slowly. 'Good,' he mumbled and went back to the table he was fixing. He and Jack fell into silence, more than comfortable just sitting with each other.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Jack woke up with a hangover. Then again, he usually woke up with a hangover... or still drunk. Jack preferred being drunk, himself; a lot more fun. The captain shook his head, his beaded dreadlocks clinking together as he walked over to his dresser. One of the drawers had been left open and Jack hunted around until he found a semi-clean shirt. It was dark blue instead of his usual white, with flared arms, and Jack shrugged it on before finding a scarf to wrap around his waist. Stockings and boots went on next, and then Jack drained the bottle of rum that was sitting on the floor by his bed before wandering outside.

It was already daylight out- around ten or eleven, if Jack could trust the sun (which he didn't; nasty bastard)- and the crew were hard at work. Mr Gibbs was sailing _Pearl_, humming under his breath as he let the ship guide him. Mr Gibbs had always had a fondness for _Pearl_, and she for him; it was the only reason the ship let Gibbs steer her when Jack was otherwise occupied. Oh, and Anamaria; _Pearl _like her. A woman thing, Jack assumed.

Anamaria was up one of the masts cutting free a frayed rope, Moon below her handing up what she needed. Gosh was throwing fish guts and whatever else he couldn't force into the crew overboard, and Nutter was helping; probably wanted extra rum, the drunk bastard.

Jack surveyed all of them and then realised that he couldn't see young William. It'd been about a week since the lad had come aboard, and he'd proven to be a hard worker. He'd already fixed up five of the cannons; small jobs, he'd said, but one of them had taken him a good day and a half to mend. He'd also sanded back the tables in the galley for Mr Gosh, fixed a broken chair in Jack's quarters, and cleaned over a dozen swords. Jack had much preferred having Will bent over in his cabin working hard then helping out the crew; the view was better.

Jack shook his head and sauntered across the deck. Mr Gibbs heard him coming and called over his shoulder, 'Mornin', Captain.'

'Mr Gibbs,' Jack half-saluted. 'How goes the day?'

'Moon almost fell overboard when he pissed off Miss Anamaria, _again_,' Gibbs said. Jack shook his head; some of the men would never learn. 'One o' the sails nearly broke, but Anamaria, Gabe and Misty got up there and fixed it up. Misty and Rent then cleaned the deck before goin' below teh do the same, and Mr Gosh said we'll be havin' chicken and pork fer the next few days 'cause the food's about to start smellin'. But we got some nice produce from the _St Sebastian's_, so we're pretty set fer food fer a while.'

Jack nodded along as Gibbs spoke, taking all the information in and filing it away. He was only listening because he was the captain and he liked to make sure that _Pearl _was well-cared for while he was asleep. But really, Gibbs knew what Jack _really _wanted to hear about.

The first mate chuckled and gestured with his flask over the helm. 'And young Mr Turner is at the bow teachin' some of the gents how teh fight with two swords.'

'Hmm,' Jack hummed before patting Gibbs on the shoulder. 'Good job, Mr Gibbs, I knew I made yeh first mate for a reason.'

'Aye,' Mr Gibbs just smirked.

Jack had already started backing towards the stairs, and waved absently as he went. 'I'm just gonna go and... yeh know, look at things... make sure the lads are workin' hard... that sorta thing.'

He almost tripped down the stairs because Mr Gibbs was laughing at him, and huffed as he stomped down them.

The crew called various good mornings as Jack passed, or avoided his eyes and hurried back to work. Jack kept his chuckles in and scowled at any pirate who looked like they were slacking off. A lot of work went into keeping a ship sailing, and if someone didn't pull their weight Jack'd toss them overboard, no questions asked.

He heard clanking and grunting as he walked towards the bow, but didn't have time to see anything before someone was bumping into him. Jack let out a lungful of air as he caught that someone around the middle. The two stumbled back, and as Jack found his feet the familiar scent of his favourite blacksmith reached his nose.

Jack grinned and made sure to rub and squeeze Will's middle as he helped the boy to his feet. Will, of course, had a blush staining his now-tanned cheeks as he whirled to face Jack.

'Jack- uh, _Captain_,' the younger man quickly corrected himself. 'Sorry, I didn't see you there.'

'Yeh should always be aware of yer surroundings, Willie,' Jack tisked. He saw a flicker of annoyance in Will's eyes at the nickname, but the lad didn't say anything. 'What are yeh doin'?' Jack asked, eyeing the cutlass Will was holding in his left hand.

'Oh, um... I'm working!' Will defended himself. He stepped aside and gestured at the two pirates standing behind him; Gabe and Jellicoe. 'I'm teaching them how to fight with two swords, or with their left hand,' Will explained. 'Or, uh... _right hand_, in Mr Jellicoe's case.'

Jellicoe was a short man, older than Jack, with a head of grey-black hair and a bushy beard. He waved at Jack as Gabe did the same.

'Is that right?' Jack mused. 'Well don't let me keep yeh.' He wandered over to one of the strapped-down cannons and took a seat. 'Go on!' he waved his hand when Will didn't move. Putting his feet up on the rope and sails folded beside the canon, Jack got comfortable. 'Wait!' he suddenly shouted when Will turned back to the other two.

'What?' Will near-squeaked.

'I need rum!' Jack ordered. He waved at the three. 'Someone hurry and fetch me a bottle!'

Will, Gabe and Mr Jellicoe all eyed each other before Will sighed. 'I'll be right back,' he muttered and hurried off.

Gabe and Jellicoe chuckled.

'Now yeh wouldn't be using my boy, would yeh, Mr Doyle?' Jack asked. 'Mr Jellicoe?'

''Course not, Captain,' Gabe shook his head.

'Bu' the lad's new,' Jellicoe added. ''e needs to ge' all the shitty jobs before 'e works his way up.'

'Mr Turner ain't a deckhand, Jelli,' Jack scowled. 'He's got actual work to do.'

'We know,' Jellicoe nodded.

'And we haven't kept him from any of it,' Gabe said. 'But you know how it is, Captain; gotta break the new ones in.'

Jack shook his head, but he _did _understand. All new pirates had to pass the tests the other crew set.

'Besides, the kid's good a' almost everythin',' Jellicoe continued. ''ard workin' lad, 'e is. And the crew respects 'im real good, Cap'n.'

Jack raised his eyebrows, and it was Gabe who explained. 'Mr Turner beat me fair and square, Captain, even when the crew cheated,' the blonde said. 'Then he saved your life twice in five minutes. He's a good fighter, smart lad, and easy to get along with. He'll fit right in, once he calms down somewhat.'

''e likes jumpin' when the Cap's 'round, dun' 'e?' Jellicoe laughed. 'See 'is face when Cap lifted 'im up?'

Gabe nodded even as he laughed and Jack smirked silently. 'Still reckon Mr Turner only likes the fairer sex, Mr Jellicoe?'

'Oh, I dunno,' Jellicoe shrugged. He swung his sword, clasped in his left hand, around a few times. 'The way 'e's been blushin' the pas' week? Might 'ave teh change me bet.'

'Good luck with that,' Gabe snickered. 'Anamaria's not likely to change it.'

'She 'as an unfair advan'age,' the older pirate grumbled. 'Knew Turner 'fore we did, didn' she?'

'What?' Will had reappeared and he handed a full bottle of rum to Jack. Jack grabbed it with eager hands and ripped the cork free with his teeth, spitting it across the deck. Will shook his head but didn't say anything as Jack guzzled down a few mouthfuls.

'I was jus' sayin' tha' Miss Ana knew yeh before we did,' Jellicoe explained. 'She 'as an unfair advan'age.'

'An unfair advantage in regards to what?' Will asked.

'Well,' Jellicoe said and Jack looked up, while Gabe held back a laugh, 'in regards teh wha' flesh yeh like, laddie.'

Will blinked. 'Flesh?'

'Aye,' Jellicoe nodded.

'I don't understand,' the blacksmith admitted.

Gabe took pity on the younger man and clapped him on the shoulder. 'He means sex, Mr Turner, as in; do you like sex with men or women.'

Will spluttered on nothing and almost dropped his sword as his eyes swivelled from Gabe, to Jellicoe, and then to Jack. Jack grinned at him and Will quickly looked away, a blush staining his cheeks.

'Most o' the crew's bettin' on it,' Jellicoe told the blacksmith. 'We wan' teh know if yer a eunuch, fancy the lasses, or fancy the lads.'

'Maybe he likes both,' Gabe suggested.

'Huh,' Jellicoe frowned. 'Didn' think o' tha'. Reckon Ana will le' me change me bet teh tha'?'

'Probably not,' Jack piped in.

'Y-You're betting on who... who I'm attracted to?' Will stuttered before scowling. 'Why does everyone think I'm a eunuch?' He rounded on Jack. 'This is your fault!'

The captain raised his hands- and bottle- in defence. 'My fault?' he echoed.

'Yes!' Will snapped. 'Nobody ever called me a eunuch before _you _did!'

'I didn't say nothing to them, mate,' Jack denied. 'Honest!'

Will rounded on Gabe and Jellicoe, who suddenly found their swords extremely interesting. 'Oh, like they'd tell me anyway,' Will threw his hands up. 'You're the captain!'

'Aye, that I am,' Jack grinned cheekily. 'Crew's on my side, young Master Turner.'

Will sniffed. 'Maybe I'll get them to mutiny.'

Jack shivered at the thought and turned his eyes away from Will. 'Yeh wouldn't do that, would yeh, William?' he asked. His voice came out more hurt than he'd intended, and Jack had to swallow some rum to clear his throat. Despite it having happened a fair few years back, the old hurt of his crew turning against him was still there. Jack knew that _this _crew would never do that, especially not Will... but...

Will's eyes widened when he saw the hurt on Jack's face and hurried forward. 'Of course I wouldn't, Jack!' he quickly said, rubbing Jack's arm. 'I was just kidding, you know I was.' Jack looked up at him. 'Besides, the crew likes you more than me,' Will continued with a smile.

Jack blinked a few times before suddenly hauling Will forward. Will yelped as he found himself straddling Jack's lap, and blushed furiously when Jack's arms wound around his waist.

'I know yeh wouldn't, Willie,' Jack grinned. 'Cabin boy's don't mutiny.'

'I'm not your cabin boy!' Will hissed while behind him Gabe and Jellicoe laughed.

'Not yet,' Jack winked. He leaned forward to press a kiss to Will's cheek, and Will went completely still. 'Thank you, William,' Jack breathed honestly. All Will could do was nod.

'So...' Gabe cleared his throat after a few minutes, 'gonna keep teaching us, Master Turner?'

'Don' think so,' Jellicoe joined in, ''e looks mighty happy on the Cap'n's lap.'

Will squeaked again and scrambled off of Jack's lap. Jack groaned and then glared at Jellicoe and Gabe, who just smiled innocently. An innocent pirate? Jack snorted at the very thought.

'Okay,' Will coughed. 'So, as I was saying before Jack interrupted-'

'I didn't interrupt!' Jack cut in. '_You _fell into _me_, how was that my fault?'

Will scowled at him but turned his back without saying a word. 'What you have to do is practice as much as you would with your right,' Will told the other two pirates. 'Or left, in your case,' he added, gesturing at Mr Jellicoe. 'At first it will feel weird, because you're used to using your dominant hand and arm. But the more you practice, the better you get, and eventually you'll be able to use both hands to wield your sword. _Then _you can practice using two at the same time.'

'How long did it take you?' Gabe asked as he experimentally swung his sword in his left hand.

'Weeks,' Will said. 'After about three or so months, practising each day, I was able to use both. And then you have to keep practising so that you don't lose the skill.'

'You can do it, can't yeh, Cap'n?' Jellicoe asked Jack, who'd been watching in silence.

Jack lowered his bottle and nodded. 'It was more a necessity then a want to do it,' he said. 'Broke me right hand when I was a lad, needed to use me left to fight.'

'How'd you break your hand?' Will asked, turning to face him.

'Navy boy stomped it after I was arrested back in England,' Jack explained. 'Thought he was real tough, beating me while I was in chains. Got him back, though.'

'How?' Will asked, a strange glint in his eyes.

'Ran him through when I escaped,' Jack said, staring Will in the eye.

They looked at each other for a good minute before Will nodded. 'Good,' he grunted, much to Jack's surprise. 'There's absolutely no honour in beating a chained man.'

'Not even we do that,' Gabe scowled. 'Sometimes I reckon we pirates have more honour then the Royal Navy.'

'Oh, I know that you do,' Will commented, but said nothing more when the other three looked at him.

'Hey, Captain,' Gabe broke the silence, looking back at Jack. 'You and Mr Turner fought before, right?' Jack nodded. 'And he says he won, but you said you won.'

'Jack cheated!' Will complained.

'And I keep tellin' yeh,' Jack gestured at himself, '_pirate_!'

'And _I _keep telling _you_,' Will pointed a finger at him, 'if I was fighting under your rules, I would have won.'

'So why don't you have a rematch?' Gabe suggested. 'You're both pirates now, eh? Let's see who's the better fighter.'

Jack's eyebrows climbed and Will looked from Gabe to Jack and back again. 'Uh...' the blacksmith hummed.

'I'm game if Mr Turner is,' Jack piped in, drawing the younger man's gaze. 'What do yeh say, William?' Jack asked, taking another swig of rum.

Will tilted his head before nodding. 'Fine.'

Jack grinned and jumped to his feet. He thrust his rum into Jellicoe's hands and got into Will's face. 'If I win, lad, yeh gotta let me braid yeh hair, dress yeh up, and put Kohl on yeh,' Jack said. Will's eyes widened. 'Fer a whole week, alright?'

'Y-You're serious,' Will stuttered.

'Aye,' was all Jack said.

'Uh...' Will bit his lip, and Jack's eyes were drawn straight down. 'Okay,' Will finally breathed. 'But when _I _win, I, um... get your cabin!' he stated. 'For an entire week. And you sleep with the crew.'

Jack's eyebrows climbed before a grin spread over his face. 'Sneaky little blighter,' he laughed. 'Alright, deal.' He and Will shook on it, and Jack made sure that the gesture went on much, much longer than it needed to, and that his fingers stroked Will's knuckles before they broke apart. 'Don't go anywhere, now, young Willie,' Jack waggled a finger at him.

He crossed _Pearl _to return to his quarters, where his own cutlass was waiting. Mr Gibbs was still at the helm and looked at Jack as he passed. 'Anythin' the matter, Captain?' he queried.

'Fighting Mr Turner,' Jack said as he disappeared into his cabin. 'Got a lot riding on it, Mr Gibbs.'

Gibbs' eyebrows were halfway to his hairline when Jack re-appeared. 'Yeh fightin'?' he asked.

'Aye,' Jack nodded. 'Lad thinks he can best me, but I'll show him a thing or two.' He unsheathed his cutlass and inspected the blade before nodding. 'Gonna come watch?' Jack asked.

Gibbs thought about it before shouting, 'Anamaria!'

The woman was down on the deck with Moon and looked up. 'What?'

'Get teh the bow, woman, and watch the Captain fight Mr Turner. I want a detailed account of it when it's over.'

Anamaria's eyes lit up and she looked to Jack for confirmation. Jack nodded and Anamaria spun on her heels. 'Oi, yeh bastards!' she hollered. 'Anyone not workin' get teh the bow! Captain's fightin' O' Bucket!'

Jack chuckled and made his way back to Will, half of the crew popping up to follow. Soon a good crowd had gathered, at least half of the pirates aboard, but neither Jack or Will paid them any attention as they warmed up.

'Ar'right, who wants teh bet me?' Anamaria hollered.

'Captain'll win!' Gabe immediately responded.

'Aye, I'll go in fer the Cap'n!' Rent said.

Men crowded around Anamaria as she pulled a piece of parchment and the stub of a pencil from her shirt, quickly scribbling down names and how many coins each pirate was betting. Jack chuckled as Will wondered just how often she bet on things to carry pencil and paper around at all times.

Soon enough the jeers and hoots of the crowd couldn't be ignored, and Jack was itching to fight the blacksmith again. There was no doubt in his mind that Will was a formidable foe, and he'd probably gotten better since they'd last crossed swords.

Will started circling Jack as soon as their eyes met, and Jack grinned as they stepped around each other.

'Yeh gonna look mighty pretty with some beads and braids in yeh hair, lad,' Jack told him.

'I might just wear some when I'm sleeping in your cabin for a good long week,' Will retorted. He lunged forward but Jack easily met his blow, and the two parried each other's thrusts as they danced around, before Jack slid his sword under Will's and pushed it away. 'Might even enjoy some rum while I'm at it,' Will quipped.

Jack's eyes narrowed and his movements stopped. 'Yeh leave me rum alone, William Turner.'

Will grinned cheekily. 'I suppose you'll just have to win to make sure you keep a hold of it, won't you?' He moved forward again and Jack stepped back with each parry, the sounds of their swords clashing together echoing over the deck.

Jack suddenly found himself against the bulwark and ducked as Will swung. Will's cutlass embedded itself into Pearl's railing, and the ship heaved in the sea before throwing Will clean off his feet. Half of the crew went with him, but Jack had been sailing aboard the black ship longer than any of them, and easily kept his footing.

Before Will could right himself Jack was upon him, and the lad had nothing to defend himself with as he ducked and weaved around the captain.

'Where's a shield when O' Bucket needs one?' Moon shouted, much to the amusement of the crew.

Instead of a bucket, though, Will grabbed a coil of rope that one of the crew had abandoned, and whipped it skilfully around his head. Jack was forced back, but his cutlass sang as the blade easily cut the rope in two. That didn't stop Will, who quickly looped the rope around Jack's arm. He twisted and pulled until suddenly, with a _clang_, Jack's cutlass was out of his hands, across the deck, and into Will's.

'Yeh've gotten better, lad,' Jack said as he backed away slowly, Will now advancing with Jack's cutlass.

'Elizabeth was busy with wedding preparations,' Will admitted, 'and business was low after I returned. I had more hours to practise.'

Jack backed into the bulwark and Will swung, but Jack wasn't an idiot, despite popular thought; he knew when to keep his eyes and ears open. He picked up the bottle of rum Jellicoe had abandoned and swung it at Will. Will brought his sword up and the bottle exploded, showering both men in rum and glass. Will turned away but Jack used the distraction to turn and rip Will's cutlass from _Pearl's _railing, and when Will next swung he was easily able to deflect the blow.

They danced around each other, their swords clinking or thumping when blade met blade, or guard met Will's arm. Jack's cutlass didn't have a guard, and Will kept grunting and hissing in pain whenever Jack got a quick blow in with the guard. When Jack got a particularly hard hit in, Will actually dropped the cutlass, and Jack swung, aiming to hit the flat of his blade against Will's head. But the boy was too quick; he dived aside and rolled across the deck, coming to his feet between Mr Jellicoe and Gabe.

Will turned and grabbed Gabe's sword, the pirate stuttering but not stopping him. When Will and Jack started stepping around each other and parrying blows once more, Will had an advantage; the deck was mostly clear, and Gabe's sword was longer than Will's cutlass; Jack had to step closer to try and hit the blacksmith.

Jack jumped over a swipe aimed at his legs, and when he looked up he realised that Will had played him; each of the younger man's slashes and steps had been made to make Jack step to the right. Now Will used his foot and one hand to kick Jack's abandoned cutlass into his left hand. He grinned as he and Jack faced each other once more.

'You stole that trick from me!' Jack complained.

'Pirate, love!' Will said, using Jack's favourite retort.

Jack shivered at the word _love _coming from Will's lips, but didn't let it distract him. He'd fought Will the first time under similar circumstances; Will with two swords, Jack with one.

The two pirates leapt over equipment and cannons, pirates and discarded weapons, as they fought up and down the deck of _Pearl_. The ship wasn't helping Jack again, and he grumbled and cursed under his breath as Will swiped. The edge of his stolen sword cut through Jack's shirt, but the cutlass Jack was wielding sliced right back, ripping open Will's tunic.

Both looked down at the line of flesh suddenly visible, and Jack hummed. 'Not bad, love,' he quipped.

Will blushed as he scowled, and the grunted as he swung at Jack with both swords.

They were fairly evenly matched as Jack stepped forward, Will stepped back; but Will was younger, for one, and he'd practised a hell of a lot more than Jack had. Jack was better at fighting under unusual conditions, and Will was better at a standard fight. Which was why Jack had to use his imagination to win.

So he let Will flip his own cutlass from Jack's hands, but before Will could aim his swords Jack had tackled him to the deck. Will struggled but Jack had one of his arms trapped under his knee, the other held tightly in his own hand. Before Will knew it, Jack had the cutlass Will was holding pressed against his throat. Jack was stronger, had just that bit more muscle, and one more push would end Will's life.

Will stopped struggling and looked up, his brown eyes meeting Jack's slightly darker ones. Jack was straddling Will's lap, and the blacksmith felt a moment of mortification when he realised that the fight had left him slightly... er, swollen, in certain areas.

Jack shifted on Will's lap and asked, 'Do yeh surrender, Mr Turner?'

Will swallowed thickly and nodded. 'Yes, Jack.'

Jack smirked in triumph as the crew let out a cheer at the words. Jack shifted again, ready to let Will go, when he felt the stirring in the lad's trousers. He froze completely and the cheers from the crew were suddenly drowned out. Will was blushing now, and he'd let go of Jack's cutlass. Jack slowly moved it away from Will's throat, but kept a tight grip on it.

Jack leaned closer and Will's breath caught in his throat, the captain's own suddenly blowing against his lips. 'J-Jack,' he stuttered.

'William,' Jack murmured. He moved closer-

'Captain!'

Jack jerked back with a vicious curse and looked up. 'What?! What the fuck could be so fuckin' important?!'

The barrelman shrunk back into the masthead and Jack looked back down at Will. The blacksmith had turned away. The moment was completely ruined.

'Uh...' the barrelman whimpered slightly. 'I was just gonna say, "Land ahoy", sir.'

Jack swore again and leapt to his feet, kicking at the deck as he went, while Gabe scurried forward to help Will up. 'By the fuckin' gods, I am sick of fuckin' interruptions!' Jack ranted. He threw his cutlass down and it stuck fast in the planks of the deck.

With a mighty groan, _Pearl _lifted her bow out of the water and crashed back down. Almost the entire crew were thrown off their feet, and Jack went straight into the main mast. His head hit the wood with a _thump_ and the captain groaned as he stumbled to the side and onto his arse.

'Jack!'

Jack blinked through the pain to find Will hurrying towards him. The younger man crouched down and wrapped his hand around Jack's wrist. He hauled the captain to his feet and asked, 'Are you okay?'

'Eh...' Jack blinked and shook his head. 'M'fine,' he muttered and waved off Will's concern. 'It'd take more than a bitchy ship to hurt me, love.'

_Pearl _groaned again and rocked violently, making Jack curse. The pirate turned to the mast and wrapped an arm around the wood.

'M'sorry, love,' he said, stroking the mast like a lover. 'Didn' mean it like that, yeh know I didn't. I was just upset.' _Pearl _creaked beneath them. 'That's right, love, I know yeh hate it too. But soon, love, soon.'

'Uh, Jack?' Will interrupted. The captain looked up to see Will giving him a bemused look. 'Are you sure you're okay?'

'He always talks teh the _Pearl_, lad,' Anamaria told him. 'Leave him be. Besides, yeh just lost me a whole heap of doubloons.'

There were cheers from the pirates who had won, but Will ignored them all in favour of keeping an eye on Jack.

'Captain, we're getting' closer teh land!' the barrelman called once more.

Jack sighed and let go of the mast, hurrying to the helm. Will and Anamaria followed.

'What is it, Jack?' Will asked.

Mr Gibbs had his spyglass out, and he passed it to Jack when the captain reached him. Jack grinned. 'Port Twelves, my lad,' he answered.

'Port Twelves?' Will questioned.

'Aye,' Gibbs nodded. 'We're attacking a merchant ship leaving port tomorrow afternoon. She'll be carrying gold and weapons.'

'Crew need new weapons, Mr Turner,' Jack said. 'And _Pearl _needs some new cannons.'

'So grab the cannons,' Will grinned. 'I can do that.'

Jack chuckled before turning to Mr Gibbs. 'We'll drop anchor near the mountains surrounding the port. Send Anamaria, Gabe and Mr Cotton ashore in a lifeboat, they can watch the docks.'

'We spendin' the night in port, Captain?' Anamaria asked. Jack nodded, and the woman said, 'Aye, aye, Captain, in port it is.'

'Jack, I wouldn't mind going ashore,' Will said before Anamaria could move. All eyes turned to him. 'I still need a lot of tools, and an anvil, if I'm going to make weapons aboard and properly fix some of the cannons.'

Jack stared at him, eyebrows furrowed.

'Uh... please?' Will tried.

Jack's face fell and he sighed. 'Curse you, Will Turner. Alright, lad, off with yeh.'

Will grinned. 'Thank you, Jack,' he said before running off to get what he needed.

'Ana,' Jack grabbed the woman's arm and she turned to him. 'Look after the lad. If anything happens, I'm holding _you _personally responsible, savvy?'

Anamaria nodded. 'I know, Captain,' she said seriously. 'Don' worry, the lad's in safe hands.'

Jack nodded and let her go.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait! I actually ran out of internet credit (I use mobile broadband) and I'm poor. My brother also refused to buy me any, meaning I had absolutely no way to buy credit. The change I could save up went towards food. The good news to come of that is that I wrote chapters 9-14 of this story. So I'll be able to update regularly after I've edited them, yay!

Anywho, enjoy :)

{Dreamer}

* * *

While the crew anchored _Pearl _and got a lifeboat ready, Jack got _Will _ready.

'Is this really necessary?' Will complained.

'I won, William,' Jack told him. 'And stop moving, yer gonna smudge yer Khol.'

'I don't want to do this,' the blacksmith complained, but didn't move. He kept his eyes down, and only lifted them when Jack told him to. Jack used his thumb to gently brush the Kohl around Will's eyes and smirked when he was done.

'I don't care if yeh don't wanna do it, mate,' Jack said brightly. 'I won, _you _lost; a deal's a deal.'

Will grumbled under his breath and then sighed. 'Well, how do I look?' he asked and spread his arms. Will was wearing his own trousers, a dark pair that were fraying around the cuffs, but still sturdy. A pair of Jack's boots were on his feet, almost the perfect fit, and had silver buckles instead of the usual leather Will was used to.

His shirt was a blood red, open from the collar to about halfway down Will's chest, with baggy sleeves that did-up at his wrists. The tunic he wore over the top was black with gold buckles and only kept closed by a belt-sheath that held Will's cutlass and an axe- the same axe Will had brought aboard _Pearl _the first time, Jack thought.

'Perfect,' Jack said and before he tossed Will a black coat- also with gold buckles and buttons- and instructed the younger man to put it on. Will rolled his eyes but again did as asked while Jack slipped a pouch of money into the bag Will was taking ashore. He then tossed that to the blacksmith, who slung it over one shoulder.

'For the record, I still hate the braids and beads,' Will announced, his Kohl-rimmed eyes narrowed.

Jack just grinned. Will was a pretty thing, but with braids and beads and Kohl? He was downright fuckable. Jack was actually wondering whether he should make something up so that he could go ashore with the lad. But Anamaria would take care of him, and Will could handle himself.

He reached out to run a finger along the braids on the ride-side of Will's face. There were two, each with a bead or two hanging from the end. Most of his hair was tied back but a few strands, such as the breads, hung free, and framed Will's perfectly tanned face. Honestly, William Turner was the most beautiful creature Jack had ever stumbled upon.

'Uh, Jack?' Will interrupted.

Jack blinked and then smiled as he touched the one braid on the left-side of Will's face. This one contained two red beads, one yellow, and a small silver pendant hanging from the end.

'Take care of yerself, lad,' Jack said. 'And that's an order, from yer Captain _and _yer friend.'

Will nodded. 'I'll be fine,' he said. Jack just squeezed his shoulder and led him back onto the deck.

The lifeboat was ready and Will, Anamaria, and Gabe were set, Mr Cotton now staying behind. As the boat was lowered, Jack couldn't help repeating himself. He leaned over the railing.

'Watch yerself, Mr Turner.'

'I'll be fine, Captain,' Will chuckled.

'Mm-hmm,' Jack hummed, watching as Will, Anamaria and Gabe slowly sunk lower and lower. 'Maybe get yerself a hat, lad!' were Jack's parting words. 'A real pirate needs a hat!'

'Fuck you!' Will retorted, and it made the pirates in hearing distance hoot with laughter.

Jack grinned. _Soon _enough, he thought as the lifeboat dropped into the water.

{oOo}

Port Twelves was a lot like Port Royal, only smaller. The Harbour-master was a corrupt man who allowed Will, Anamaria and Gabe to tie up their lifeboat under the name "Jones". They were all Joneses, apparently, and Will and Gabe had a good chuckle as Anamaria bartered with the old man. She threatened him, really, and soon they were walking up into the town proper.

It had been founded around the same time that Port Royal had been re-built after the earthquake that had destroyed a good chunk of the town, so the streets and people felt familiar to Will as they walked through. There were a lot more pirates around, though, and the small garrison of Navy soldiers that patrolled the area could be seen more often than not turning a blind-eye to the more illegal doings.

'Are merchant ships often plundered when they leave this port?' Will asked as he and the other two pirates stopped outside a tavern. Anamaria was eyeing the place like she wanted to slip in and buy some drinks, but Will wanted to hunt around for tools.

'Not really, lad,' Anamaria answered, not looking at him. 'The Navy might be a bit corrupt, but if they didn't do their jobs they'd be keelhauled. Best to do as little as they can, and stopping pirates from raidin' ships is part of it.'

Gabe clapped a hand on Will's shoulder as he said, 'Rest easy, mate. Captain Sparrow knows what he's doing. An old friend apparently told him about this ship, and Jack trusts him, so we do too.'

'Okay,' was what Will settled on saying, and then yelped when he was dragged by the two pirates into the tavern. 'But I want to-'

'We have all day tomorrow, lad,' Anamaria interrupted. 'Merchant vessel ain't sailin' until late afternoon, which means we got practically all day tomorrow teh ourselves. We'll find yeh some tools. I'll even get yeh an anvil meself.'

'You _do _realise that anvils are expensive, right?' Will said. Gabe pushed him through the crowded tavern, Anamaria leading the way, and soon they were sitting at a table in the corner.

'I'm loaded, mate,' Anamaria winked at him. 'Bettin' on you is the best thing that ever happened teh me. Now all I need is me own ship and I'm set.' She sighed suddenly and slouched back in her seat. 'Gonna miss the crew, I'll admit. But it'll be good teh command me own ship again.'

'Captain'll find you one,' Gabe said as he flagged down one of the servers.

'He's been "findin' me one" for a good eight months now,' Anamaria grumbled, but she let the subject drop while they ordered a rum each. Will dug into his bag for the small pouch of coins he'd brought with him, and frowned when he found a much heavier one. 'What's that?' Anamaria asked.

'I don't know...' Will trailed off when he opened the pouch to find it stuffed with silver. 'Jack,' he sighed and tossed a few coins onto the table.

'Yer his favourite, lad,' Anamaria winked.

'No I'm not,' Will grumbled, but couldn't stop the small smile that pulled at his lips.

'Aww, look at him smiling,' Gabe teased and grabbed his cheek. Will pushed him away.

'He likes bein' the Captain's favourite,' Anamaria laughed.

'Shut up,' Will mumbled, and then breathed a sigh of relief when their drinks were delivered.

'How old are yeh, lad?' Anamaria suddenly asked.

Will frowned over his rum. 'Why does that matter?'

'Just curious, is all,' the woman shrugged. 'Go on, tell us.'

Will took a sip of his drink before saying, 'I'm twenty-one.' Anamaria let out a breath and Gabe whistled. 'What?' Will asked. 'What's wrong with my age?'

'Nothing, lad,' Anamaria smiled. 'Just didn't realise yeh were _that _young.'

'Thought you were at least twenty-five,' Gabe admitted. 'How old's the Captain?' he then asked Anamaria, who shrugged again.

'Dunno... thirty-five? Forty? Who knows.'

Will looked between the two pirates. 'I'm confused,' he admitted and took another swig of rum.

'Never mind, lad,' Anamaria chuckled. 'Yer age don't matter, I was just wonderin'. Yer young, is all.'

'I was younger the first time we sailed together,' Will pointed out. 'I only just turned twenty-one last month.'

'Ah, _Januarius_,' Anamaria nodded. At Will and Gabe's looks, she shrugged. 'What? I pay attention teh the time of year, and that's about it. Well, apart from what ships I wanna pillage,' she grinned and downed half of her drink.

They talked about this and that, not staying on one subject for too long before moving onto the next. They drank more and more rum, Will and Anamaria covering for Gabe thanks to Ana's bets and Jack's apparent favouritism of Will.

Anamaria soon secured them lodgings for the night over a tavern down the street, and only caused two minor fights when a few drunk lads tried to feel up her shirt. Gabe just sat back and laughed when the blokes suddenly found a sword to their throat, while Will had to be held back from leaping over the table more than once.

'Steady, mate,' Anamaria scolded as she dragged him back down and her latest admirer ran. 'I can handle meself.'

'I don't care,' Will growled. 'I don't like seeing my friends abused.'

Anamaria cocked an eyebrow. 'Are we friends, young William?'

'Of course we are,' Will said before turning to her and blushing lightly. 'A-Aren't we?'

'Huh,' Anamaria said before grinning brightly, 'yeh, mate, 'course we're friends. It'd do me well to have more friends instead of enemies.'

'Or lovers,' Gabe quipped, earning a swipe from Anamaria's dagger. Gabe just grinned and saluted her with his rum.

'Is it hard, being out at sea for so long?' Will asked as the other two pirates settled back down.

'What do yeh mean, lad?' Anamaria asked.

'Well... everybody that I've met seems to enjoy sex,' Will said slowly, and ignored the snickers from Anamaria and Gabe, 'and being at sea for so long must get in the way of... uh...'

'Finding a shag?' Gabe supplied. Will just nodded. 'Well, there are the blokes who like other blokes, so they're usually set if they can find someone to share their bunk. You don't meet many lady pirates, so I don't know about that.'

'Plenty of men to keep me satisfied, Mr Turner,' Anamaria grinned at him. 'And when I'm in port, I find plenty of women, too.'

Will choked on his rum, and Anamaria and Gabe laughed, the latter slapping him on the back. 'W-Women?' he finally managed to cough.

'Aye, yeh didn' think it were just men who were sodomites, did yeh?' Anamaria asked. ''Course, we're not called sodomites, and it doesn't really get talked about, 'cause God forbid women not want a bloke teh warm their sheets. Yeh'll soon find, William Turner, that most men think they're God's gift teh the fairer sex. Load of bollocks, is what it is.'

'Easy, Ana,' Gabe held a hand out as the woman started to get worked up. '_We_ agree with you, don't we, Buck?' He nudged Will under the table, and Will nodded hastily.

'Yes, of course I agree,' the blacksmith quickly stated.

'Good,' Anamaria huffed and slammed her mug onto the table.

Will ordered another round, and the three fell into conversation once more. That was, until they were interrupted. Anamaria scowled at the approaching man, but then her eyebrows climbed in surprise when the bloke leaned over the table to speak to Will.

''ello, luv,' he slurred, clearly drunk, and Will blinked at him. ''aven't seen yer pretty face 'round these parts.'

'Uh... n-no, I'm just... passing through,' Will stuttered.

'Aye,' the man nodded and looked Will up and down, grinning lecherously when he re-met Will's eyes. 'Where yeh stayin' t'night, luv?'

'I don't think that's any concern of yours,' Will said.

'Aw, don' be like tha', sweetie,' the man said. He leaned further over the table, and Will wrinkled his nose when the stranger's putrid odour hit him. 'Why don' ya come back teh my place, eh? I'll show yeh a good time.'

'He's not interested,' Anamaria finally spoke up, and the man barely glanced at her. 'So why don't yeh piss off?'

'Ain't no one asked _you_, whore,' the man snarled.

Before any of them could blink, Will was standing, and in a second he had the man face down on the table, one arm wrenched behind his back. Will had his dagger pressed to the man's throat, and the bloke winced and bucked but couldn't get free.

'I think you should apologise to the lady,' Will said, 'before I slit your throat.'

'Fuck off!' the man growled.

'I _said_,' Will snarled, pulling back on the man's arm and making him howl, '_apologise_.'

'Sorry!' the man grunted out. ''m sorry, jus' lemme go!'

Will let the man up and glared at him, but there wasn't going to be a fight; the drunk scowled at the lot of them before stumbling away, the other patrons barely batting an eye at the almost-fight.

Will sighed and dropped back into his seat, his dagger disappearing into the coat Jack had lent him.

'If yeh weren't taken, William, I'd jump yeh right now,' Anamaria commented.

Will jolted and looked at her with wide eyes. 'W-What?' he gaped. 'I'm not taken!'

'Aren't yeh?' Anamaria asked, and Gabe just shook his head when Will glanced his way.

'Uh... no?' Will tried.

Anamaria smirked and leaned over the table. 'So what _do _yeh fancy, William Turner?'

'Fancy?' Will echoed, picking up his mug, only to find it empty.

'Men? Women? Both, or neither?' the woman prompted.

'Oh,' Will blinked, 'I, uh...'

'We ain't gonna judge yeh, mate,' Anamaria said and nudged Gabe. 'Are we?'

'Not in the least,' Gabe replied. 'I fancy women myself, but I won't say no to a strapping lad if he wants to keep my bunk warm.'

'R-Really?' Will asked. When they both nodded, the blacksmith cleared his throat. Keeping his eyes on his mug, he said, 'Well, I always thought that I loved Elizabeth. But when I actually got a chance to _be _with her, I realised that she wasn't what I wanted.'

'Was it just her?' Anamaria asked. 'Or women in general?'

'I, uh...' Will closed his eyes and mumbled, 'women in general.'

'I knew it!' Anamaria howled in triumph. 'Knew yeh were a sodomite, lad. Half the crew owe me a bunch of silver and gold, now!'

'I _really _wish that you'd stop betting on me,' Will sighed. But he felt lighter, now, knowing that the crew didn't care that he was attracted to men- well, Anamaria and Gabe didn't care, anyway.

'Shut up, lad, it's the best fun I've had in months,' Anamaria said. She tipped the rest of her drink into her mouth before saying, 'I need another, and the next round's on O' Bucket!'

Will sighed but held up a hand to signal a server. 'I'm going to be stuck with that nickname until the day I die, aren't I?'

'Hey, it could be worse,' Anamaria said, kicking him under the table. 'Yeh could be called Moon.'

Anamaria and Gabe roared with laughter, while Will just laughed and shook his head.

{oOo}

'Is that it?' Gabe asked.

Anamaria nodded. She and the blonde were standing on the docks, watching as the crew of the _Muddy Waters _loaded the ship with cargo. It was a rather large ship, and in good condition, but it still wasn't what Anamaria was looking for. She didn't want to settle for second best.

'Aye, and she looks to be keepin' on schedule,' Anamaria said.

'Bucket should be back in an hour, I left him up near the main shops,' Gabe said. 'I'll go down and bribe the Harbour-master to make sure we've got the schedule right before we head back to the _Pearl_.'

'Yeh left the lad alone?' Anamaria demanded, rounding on the tall man.

'He can handle himself,' Gabe shrugged.

Anamaria snorted. 'Trouble follows that boy around, Gabie, yeh best get used teh that.'

'Doesn't trouble follow _all _pirates around?' Gabe asked, and grinned when the woman rolled her eyes.

'I don't want any of yer philosophy this early in the day, yeh bastard,' Anamaria huffed. 'What I'm sayin' is, if William gets inteh trouble, who do yeh reckon the Captain's gonna blame?'

Gabe frowned at that and rubbed a hand over his stubbly face. 'Damn,' he muttered.

'Exactly,' Anamaria said. 'So you'd best be runnin' along teh make sure O' Bucket's kept himself outta danger. 'Cause if one hair on his head is damaged, the Captain'll make us both walk the plank, and he won't be dragging us back up afterwards.'

With that Anamaria stomped away, and Gabe hastily made his way back up into town. He didn't fancy facing Captain Jack's wrath if Will were injured.

{oOo}

'I'm a grown man; I can take care of myself,' Will complained as Gabe followed him out of the shop and back onto the street.

'I'm not saying that you can't,' Gabe said. 'I'm just following Captain's orders.'

Will stopped and rounded on him, forcing the larger man to back up. 'Jack ordered you to keep an eye on me?'

'Well... he ordered _Ana _to keep an eye on you,' Gabe admitted, 'and then she made a very convincing argument as to why _I _should keep an eye on you. And here we are.' He spread his arms and Will huffed, turning to continue walking. 'Come on, lad, the Captain'll have my head if I let you get into trouble.'

'I can-'

'Take care of yourself, I know,' Gabe interrupted. 'But I'm still coming with you. You can take it up with Captain Sparrow when we re-board the _Pearl_.'

Will didn't say anything to that, so the two walked in silence, Will occasionally stopping when something in a shop caught his eye.

'That one would suit you,' Gabe said five minutes after they'd stopped outside a clothing store. It sold everything; shirts, jackets, coats, scarves, and... hats.

'What?' Will shook his head and turned to look at the older man.

'That one,' Gabe said, nodding at one of the hats on display. It was a bit similar to Jack's Captain's hat and had three broad upturned sides that were stiffened but not tacked, giving it a more rounded and less sharp triangular shape. There were two large brass buttons on either side of the front arches, and the one on the left sported two feathers; one white, one brown.

Will didn't make a move to enter the shop, but he didn't try to leave, either, so Gabe rolled his eyes and walked in.

'Gabe!' Will hissed but hurried after him.

The hat was a dark brown colour, almost black, with a lighter brown trimming around the edges. Gabe grinned as he pulled it from the peg it was resting on and dropped it atop Will's head. 'Suits you, mate.'

Will frowned at him but glanced up at the hat. 'Does it?'

Gabe nodded before one of the many scarves on display caught his eye. He chuckled and reached for one the colour of blood with silver threaded through. 'And this,' Gabe declared and waved it at the younger man.

'No,' Will shook his head. 'I'll look like I'm trying to dress like Jack.'

'Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, lad?' Gabe laughed. 'You're wearing Kohl, a scarf around your waist, and Jack's shirt and coat. You already look like him.'

'That's because I lost a bet,' Will explained.

'Get a different coloured scarf, then,' Gabe shrugged. 'It'll keep the hair out of your face, if you're planning on keeping it that length.

Will sighed in defeat and took the scarf, and Gabe helped him wrap it around his head. When Will plopped the hat back onto his head Gabe grinned widely. '_Now _you look like a pirate,' he declared.

'I do?' Will asked hopefully, and the other man nodded. 'And I don't look ridiculous?'

'Not at all,' Gabe shook his head.

'You buyin' that?' a man suddenly came out of nowhere, and Gabe and Will both nodded.

Will paid for the hat and scarf and he and Gabe left the shop. When they met up with Anamaria down on the docks, the woman took one look at Will and grinned. 'Jack'll _love _that look, Bucket,' she laughed.

Will tugged the hat off, but Gabe held his hand out. 'What's the matter, mate? Don't you wanna impress Jack?'

Biting his lip, Will stared at the hat as he mumbled, 'Everybody knows how I feel about him, don't they?'

Anamaria and Gabe glanced at each other. 'How yeh feel...?' Anamaria hummed, trying to play dumb.

Will rolled his eyes. 'All the jokes, the betting on my sexuality? I'm not blind.'

Anamaria squirmed when the young man looked up at her. 'We didn't mean nothin' by it, lad. Just a bit of harmless fun. We reckon you and Jack'd be good together.'

'Really?' Will asked, a look of disbelief written across his face.

'Yeah,' Gabe quickly nodded. 'We see the way you look at Captain Jack, and the way he looks at _you_, and you... fit, you know? You two work well together.'

Will's cheeks were steadily turning red, and he mumbled, 'H-How Jack looks at me?'

'I thought yeh weren't blind,' Anamaria laughed. 'Jack looks at yeh like a starvin' man and yer a juicy steak. Never seen him look at another person that way before, and I've known 'im for years.'

'Aye,' Gabe nodded, 'he looks at you like he looks at the _Pearl_.'

Will gaped at that, but there was no time for him to ask questions; the _Muddy Waters _was almost fully loaded, and they had to row back to the _Pearl_.

'We can talk about this later, if yeh want,' Anamaria said, grabbing Will by the arm. 'But we gotta go.'

Will nodded and slipped his hat back on before following her and Gabe back to the raft.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I actually did some research, yay! The Gregorian calendar (which is what's mostly used these days, January-December) was adopted by Great Britain in 1752. According to the film's scriptwriters, Pirates of the Caribbean was set anywhere between 1720-1750. Ergo, the Gregorian calendar wasn't adopted at the time that this story takes place. Back then they were using the Julian calendar, and the month of January was called _Ianuarius _or _Januarius. _Ergo, Will was born in January. And why? Because that's when Orlando Bloom was born :p

Anywho, I made an age timeline for myself 'cause I was getting confused; Will and Elizabeth first met when they were 12. CotBP takes place eight years later, making Will 20. In the months between Will and Jack meeting again, Will turned 21. I personally see Jack as being about 37 or so. Have I confused you yet? :)

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

**Warning: **Violence

* * *

'Lifeboat's rowin' toward us!' came the shout from the masthead.

Jack practically leapt down the helm and across the deck, the crew watching with unhidden amusement. The captain paced back and forth beside the bulwark as he waited, and when the lifeboat was finally hauled back up, and the three pirates were on deck, he wrapped an arm around Will and squeezed tight.

'J-Jack, can't breathe!' Will complained, but was grinning when Jack let him go.

'Yeh alright, lad?' Jack demanded, looking him over.

'He's fine,' Anamaria pushed him away. 'Stood up for me honour and everythin'!'

Jack eyed Will, but when he couldn't see any injuries, he nodded and clapped Will on the shoulder. 'Good to have yeh back, Willie.'

'What about us?' Anamaria demanded.

'Yeah, yeah!' Jack waved a hand at her, and Gabe chuckled while Anamaria rolled her eyes. 'Wait!' Jack declared and took a step back. He looked Will up and down, and then put his hands together, making a rectangle to peer through, before dropping them again. Will fidgeted under the older man's gaze but didn't say anything as Jack finally took another step back. 'Love the hat, mate,' Jack finally said, and Will smiled at him, while Anamaria and Gabe shared a look. 'Definitely suits yeh.'

'Thank you,' Will smiled and reached up to fidget with it.

'_Anyway_,' Anamaria interrupted, stepping between the two men, 'the _Muddy Waters _was just about loaded up when we left, so she should be headin' out soon.'

'Right,' Jack nodded and finally ripped his eyes away from Will. 'Hoist the sails, pull up the anchor, and everyone get ready!' Jack ordered. 'We got a ship to pillage!'

The gathered crew cheered and quickly set about doing as asked, while Will hurried below deck to put his things away. He removed the coat that Jack had lent him, as well as the two scarves, and swapped the belt-sheath for something sturdier. With his cutlass, dagger, and axe, Will jammed his new hat back on and headed topside, ready to help Jack pillage another ship.

{oOo}

The _Black Pearl _lagged behind, letting the merchant vessel slowly sail away from Port Twelves. They had to be far enough out that the _Muddy Waters _couldn't call for help, but not so far that any survivors couldn't row back in lifeboats. Will knew that most pirates wouldn't care about the lives lost, and to an extent Jack didn't either. Still, Captain Sparrow would rather let the men (and on occasion, women and children) live than slaughter them unnecessarily. Will had already proven, to both himself and the crew, that he _would _kill if it was needed. If Jack or the crew- or Will's own life- was in danger, Will would draw his sword and spill blood.

The _Muddy Waters _wasn't a fast ship, and it was a good hour until Jack called for Mr Gibbs to power ahead. The _Pearl _creaked and groaned beneath them, but she swiftly dove through the sea and closed the distance between the two ships. Soon the shouts of the men aboard the _Muddy Waters _reached the pirates' ears, and the colours- the Union Flag- were lowered, replaced with a white rectangle of cloth.

'Be on the lookout,' Jack ordered his crew, 'there are Navy men aboard this vessel.'

The two ships were soon bobbing side-by-side, and Jack's crew swung over on ropes, and secured more to both bulwarks. Anamaria tossed a plank over and Gabe secured it, allowing Jack, Will, and a few others to walk across to the _Muddy Waters_.

A tall, well-built man immediately stepped forward from the direction of the helm, and Will's assumption that he was the captain was confirmed when he said, 'I'm Martin Walter, the captain of this vessel. What business do you have here?'

'Well,' Jack hummed, a grin stretched across his face, and Will knew what was coming. 'I thought I'd take a little look-see at yer ship, maybe talk to yeh crew, and, yeh know... take whatever I want and sink yeh. How's that?'

Walter scowled. 'Pirates,' he spat, like _that _wasn't obvious from what they were all wearing. 'And what makes you think that I'll just let you take my ship?'

'Yeh can either sit aside quietly, or try and fight back,' Jack said. 'It's really a choice between life and death, mate.'

Walter's face darkened. 'I think I'll take my chances,' he snarled before drawing a pistol.

Will's eyes widened and he reached for his dagger, but before he could throw it Anamaria was tossing the captain aside, her sword drawn. Suddenly men in the red and white uniform of the British Navy were swarming up from below deck, immediately engaging Jack's pirates in battle.

Will spotted another man with his gun raised at Jack and grabbed the captain, pulling him out of the way. The sound of bullets firing and swords clashing filled the air, but Will didn't have time to keep Jack safe. There were already more Navy men then there were pirates, and the crew of the _Muddy Waters _had their own swords and pistols. Will rolled aside when a blade sang through the air, embedding itself in the deck where the blacksmith had just laid.

Jack was already up, his pistol in one hand, sword in the other. He was firing and slashing at any man who dared cross his path, shouting orders to his crew as he did. Will knew that Jack could take care of himself- he'd seen him fight first-hand numerous times- but everything was different, now. Will's feelings were different- hell, _Will _was different. So he tried to keep one eye on Jack as he drew his cutlass against one man, then two, then three.

They seemed to be everywhere. Red Navy coats flapped in the sea breeze as the men wearing them screamed and swung their blades. Will ducked one slash, then another, rolling over a crate to avoid a third blow. He felt something graze his side but didn't pay attention, focusing on bringing his cutlass up to parry a blow.

Will whirled around when he found himself surrounded, and grit his teeth.

'We'll show you what we do to filthy pirates!' one man snarled.

Will grinned. 'Come on, then!' he taunted.

The man threw himself forward and Will ducked under the swing. He brought the handle of his cutlass up and rammed it into the man's stomach, followed by his knee. The man grunted out a sound of pain and fell, and Will's left hand deftly snatched his cutlass from him.

Now wielding two swords, Will spun, bringing his own up to block a blow. He swung the left one, slicing open a sailor's jacket, shirt, and stomach. Blood spilled from his body as he dropped to his knees, and Will used the man as a spring-board. He jumped off of his back, slashing through the air with both cutlasses.

Two more sailors fell, and Will had to throw himself sideways when a crew-member of the _Muddy Waters _aimed a pistol at him. Before he'd even finished sliding across the deck, Will had dropped his borrowed cutlass, drew his dagger out, and threw it. It whistled through the air and into the man's neck.

Will leapt back up and ducked behind a mast. It splintered as bullets slammed into the wood, and Will took a second to catch his breath. He didn't stay put for long; another two soldiers appeared, each with a gun and sword, and the crew of the _Muddy Waters _seemed determined to kill some pirates.

Will groaned but ducked under each blow, slicing and slashing, hitting and kicking. He ran a sailor through, the man having taken aim at Gabe, who was fighting two sailors by the stern. The taller man nodded in thanks and threw himself back into the fray.

Will fought his way back towards the middle of the deck. He'd lost sight of Jack and looked through the fighting bodies, trying to find him, but couldn't see the captain. He caught sight of Moon, and Misty, too. Three of Jack's crew were lying on the deck dead, but there were more sailors than pirates. Jack's crew was winning.

Will ducked under a blow, he sliced a pistol aside, and leapt over a fallen body. But every time he felled a sailor, another appeared. And another, three, four, _six_. Will backed up to the mast once more, his swords held before him, but there were too many men, and most of them had pistols. Will grit his teeth and looked around, trying to find an opening, an _advantage_.

A rope was tackled beside him, loosely tied by the mast, and Will dropped one of his cutlasses as he thought quickly. Pistols were raised but Will swung, and his sword cut through the rope just as he grabbed onto it. The sudden lurch made Will's stomach churn as he was lifted into the air, high above the deck. Bullets slammed into the mast where he had been standing, sending splinters flying everywhere.

The wind sent the sail spinning, now that it wasn't roped down properly, and Will swung wildly through the air, his legs and free arm flailing. He swung over pirates and sailors, and almost slammed into another sail as he went past. Will threw his cutlass out and it caught in the sail, material ripping beneath the sharp blade. Will let go of the rope and immediately fell, his body weight dragging the cutlass down through the sail.

He fell too quickly, and when Will hit the deck he groaned, feeling his legs throb beneath him, threatening to break as he rolled sideways.

Disorientated, Will barely managed to duck a swing from one sailor, a pistol from another, and fought half-blind. His swings went wide but he was still better than the men attacking. Through his aching head, Will spied Jack backed up to one of the bulwarks. Blood was running down one side of his face and had soaked into his shirt, turning it a bright crimson red.

'Jack,' Will grunted and stumbled over a dead body, barely paying attention. He fought off two sailors as he made his way towards his captain, and felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw that Jack was fighting _six _men at once. How he was still alive, Will had no idea, but he intended to keep it that way. 'Jack!' he shouted, but the captain didn't turn.

'Stop shoutin' and fight, Willie!' the older man called back.

Will dodged one blow, then another, his sword cutting through the arm of one man who tried to shoot him. The man fell but he still had a sword, and snarled as he swiped at Will's legs. Will stepped over the blow and lashed out with his foot. His boot connected with the man's head and he snapped back, sent sprawling across the deck on his back. Will leapt over his body and cut down another man, Anamaria grinning at him as they passed each other.

Will finally reached Jack and sighed in relief; his wound didn't appear fatal, it was just a head cut. They always bled more than any other injury, Will had found.

'Ar'right, Willie?' Jack panted as he kicked another sailor back.

Will ducked under a sword and grabbed the man around the waist. He screamed as Will tossed him over-board, the blacksmith grinning when he caught Jack's amazed eyes. 'Alright, Captain,' he quipped, making Jack laugh.

The two fell silent, apart from grunts as their bodies began to ache, and hisses when they were nicked by a sword or kicked by a sailor. Despite the fact that he was fighting for his life, Will had to admit that he was sort of having fun. He was worried about Jack and the rest of the crew, sure, but his heart was thumping painfully fast in his chest, and his blood was singing through his veins. His arms and legs hurt, and there was a growing pain in his right side. Apart from that, though, Will's head had never felt clearer. This, _this _was what he'd been born to do; not sit in a manor house with a well-bred woman discussing politics and wine; he was born to be a filthy pirate, to pillage and plunder, to follow Jack around the world.

He was a pirate, just like his father.

Jack's cry of pain pulled Will back to the present quicker than anything had before. He elbowed a sailor aside as he looked to his left to find Jack on the deck, his back pressed to the bulwark. There was a pistol aimed at his head, and more blood matted into his scarf, hair, and across his face. He was glaring defiantly up at Captain Walter, who grinned smugly before cocking his pistol.

Will didn't even think. Some force that he wasn't in control of dragged him to the side and lifted his cutlass. Before he knew it his blade had pierced Walter's side and sunk deeply into his stomach, all the way up to the hilt. Walter's eyes widened and he turned as thick red blood spilled from his body and across Will's hands.

Will snarled and pushed him away from Jack, the man stumbling, the blade sliding from him with a thick wet sound. Walter fell, dead before he hit the deck, and Will ripped the rest of his cutlass free.

'Will!'

Will heard Jack's shout, but it was too late. He'd left himself open, and a crew-mate of the _Muddy Waters _took the advantage. White hot pain, worse than anything Will had felt before, speared through him from his right side. Will cried out and spun, but it made the pain worse, and his head grew heavy, his body faint. He swayed on the spot and fell to his knees.

Will was vaguely aware of bodies moving around him; of Jack snarling and a gun going off. He heard shouts of triumph before they quickly went silent, and then more noise as people moved around him.

Something warm lifted the top half of Will's body from the deck, and everything came back in stunning clarity. Will cried out as his injury was jostled and looked up to see Jack kneeling, Will's head in his lap.

'Yer gonna be alright, Willie,' Jack was speaking quickly. 'Gosh! Someone get Gosh!' he shouted at the top of his voice.

Anamaria, Mr Gibbs, and Gabe all appeared, each panting and covered in blood- whether their own or someone else's, Will couldn't tell. Mr Gibbs and Gabe swore, the former touching his head, chest, then either side in the sign of the cross. Anamaria took off across the deck, but Will closed his eyes, fresh pain seeping through him and making him whimper.

'Shh, Will,' Jack hummed. 'Yeh got hurt, love, but yeh'll be alright.'

'O-Okay,' was all Will could choke out. He'd been hurt before; he'd burned himself on coal and embers, had dropped a white-hot poker on his thigh, and had been beaten numerous times by Mr Brown or a drunk sailor stumbling through Port Royal. But he'd never been stabbed. His body had never hurt _this _much before. 'J-Jack?' Will whimpered.

'I'm right here, love,' Jack immediately responded.

'I... g-gotta tell you... s-somethin',' Will said before hissing. Jack had pressed his hands to Will's side, and blood quickly seeped between his fingers.

'Yeh can tell me later,' the captain said, 'just rest now, yeh? Save yer breath.'

'But I... I don't wanna die before... before...'

'Yer not gonna die!' Jack snapped. 'GOSH!'

'Right here!' the cook snapped. He'd stayed on the _Black Pearl_, being a cook first and a pirate second. He pushed Jack's hands aside and ripped Will's tunic aside, his shirt quickly shredded with one of Misty's daggers. Gosh hissed when he saw the mess of the lad's stomach. 'I can't do anythin', Jack,' he told the captain, looking up at him. 'The wound's too deep; he needs a proper doctor.'

'Yeh can't do _anything_?' Jack demanded.

'I can stitch him up,' Gosh said, 'but if he's got internal bleeding he'll die within a day or two. He needs a proper doctor,' the man repeated.

Jack swore harshly and took the rag Gosh passed him, pressing it firmly to Will's side. He wiped his face with his free hand, uncaring of the blood he smeared across his skin and beard. 'Anyone know a good, trustworthy doctor within two days' sail?' he demanded of the gathered crew.

Everyone was silent, staring from Will to Jack, before Mr Gibbs stepped forward. 'I know one, Captain.'

'Where?' Jack asked.

'Port Royal,' Mr Gibbs grimaced. 'He's a good doctor, and I trust him with me life. He's stitched me up from worse wounds than that,' he said, nodding at Will's stomach.

'Port Royal,' Jack sighed.

'That's a week's sail,' Anamaria frowned. 'Maybe four or five days if we push _Pearl_.'

'We don't know Port Twelves, Captain, and we just attacked one of their ships,' Mr Gibbs said. 'We can't take the lad there.'

Jack rubbed his face again, but startled when Will suddenly latched onto his wrist.

'J-Jack, no,' he stuttered, teeth gritted in pain. 'Norrington's still in Port R-Royal. They'll recognise the _P-Pearl_.'

'Do yeh wanna die, love?' Jack demanded.

'N-No,' Will snapped, but then smiled softly. 'I don't... don't want the c-crew to die e-either... just t-take me somewhere e-else.'

'We can't, Captain,' Gosh said what Jack was already thinking. 'Ain't no doctor in Tortuga that can fix him. At least, not a doctor who's sober.'

Jack scowled and looked down at Will, who's eyes had closed against the pain. 'How long will he survive?' he asked Gosh.

'Three or four days, hopefully,' Gosh said. 'I can stitch him up, try and stem the blood loss.'

'Three days,' Jack murmured and glanced over at the _Pearl_, who was still attached to the _Muddy Waters_. He could hear her creaking from where he was, bobbing in the water. It had taken them a week to sail from Tortuga to Port Twelves, and Port Royal was further away. But they hadn't been in a hurry before. If _Pearl _knew that Will might die... 'Get back aboard _Pearl_!' Jack shouted. 'We need to get William to Port Royal in three days!'

The crew didn't hesitate; they raced back to the _Pearl_, uncaring of the loot they were leaving behind. Will was more important than any gold or rum; he was one of them.

With Gosh and Anamaria's help, Jack got Will aboard the _Pearl _and into his cabin. Will kept mumbling about not going back to Port Royal, but he was already half-unconscious. He passed out completely when Mr Gosh started stitching him up as best he could, using rum and other alcohol to clean the wound.

'Yeh'll be alright, Will,' Jack mumbled when Gosh was done. He leaned down to kiss Will's forehead and then stood. Gabe, Anamaria, and Mr Gibbs were all in his cabin. 'Gabe, Ana, watch over him- you too, Mr Gosh.' The three pirates nodded. 'Gibbs, with me,' Jack ordered and swept from the cabin. Mr Gibbs followed him over to the wheel. 'Work the crew hard!' Jack snapped. 'We need to save Will.'

'Aye, aye, Captain,' Mr Gibbs nodded and hastened to do as ordered. 'Listen up!' he shouted to the working crew. 'Mr Turner's one of us. And what do we do when one of us is injured?'

'Anything!' the crew shouted back.

'Damn right!' Gibbs said. 'Now work harder and faster then yeh ever have before!'

The pirates, if possible, moved quicker than before, and Gibbs turned to look at Jack, who was hissing furiously to _Pearl_. He hoped that they'd reach Port Royal in time to save Mr Turner. He didn't want to think about what Jack would do if they lost the lad.

* * *

**Author's Note: **A cliffhanger 'cause I'm evil :p Don't worry, I'll update soon :)

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

There was a dull throbbing in his side, and his head was fuzzy. Wincing as he tried to move, Will pressed a hand to his stomach, trying to figure out why it hurt. He tried to sit but a strong hand pushed him back onto the... bed?

'Jack?' he mumbled, the first person who came to mind, and heard a low chuckle.

'Right here, love.'

Shaking his head, Will opened his eyes. It was sunny, wherever he was, and a cool breeze was playing across his face. The smell of a dirty street- rubbish, sweaty bodies, and rotten food- reached Will's nose, and he wrinkled it as his eyes finally focused.

He was in a small room, the walls a muddy brown colour, the drapes blowing in the window matching. An off-white sheet was draped over his body, and Will was naked from the waist up. Will glanced around and smiled slightly when he caught sight of Jack. The captain was sitting on a wooden seat beside the bed, his hat on the table beside them both.

'What happened?' Will asked.

Jack shuffled in his seat. 'What do yeh remember?' he asked.

Will frowned as he thought. Memories of boarding the _Muddy Waters_, and the fight that ensued, swept through his mind. 'We were on a merchant vessel, right?'

'We were,' Jack nodded. 'Yeh were hurt, William.'

'I was?' Will asked. 'I don't remember,' he muttered absently, and pressed a hand to his side again. It throbbed dully, and Will looked down.

'Yeh were stabbed twice,' Jack told him. 'The first was a shallow cut, the Doc said, second was pretty deep. They both got infected on the sail over and he had a hard time keeping 'em clean.' Will looked up at him. 'He finally managed to patch yeh up and keep yeh fever down. Yeh've been unconscious for a few days now.'

'How long?' Will asked.

'Yeh passed out as soon as we got yeh back aboard _Pearl_,' Jack said, 'and yeh've only just woken up. So about ten days.'

'Ten _days_?' Will blinked, then shook his head when Jack nodded. 'Where are we?'

'Port Royal,' Jack grimaced.

'Jack!' Will groaned. He was beginning to remember what had happened. He'd killed Captain Walter, who'd been about to shoot Jack. Then he'd been hurt- stabbed, he supposed- and after that he'd been aware of Jack and the others deciding on whether or not to go to Port Royal. He must have passed out just after that.

'It was our only choice, love,' Jack said. 'There wasn't a doctor in Tortuga who could help, and no other port had someone we could trust. It was Port Royal or...' Jack scowled, his fingers tightening where they sat in his lap. 'We had to,' he finished.

'Okay,' Will sighed. 'I get it.' If _Jack _had been injured, Will would have done anything to save him. Even if it meant returning to Port Royal. 'How long did it take us to get here?' he asked.

'Four days,' Jack said. '_Pearl _went really fast 'cause she knew yeh were in trouble.'

Will smiled. He'd have to thank the ship when he re-boarded.

'Do yeh need anything?' Jack asked, leaning forward, his dark brown eyes wide.

'Uh... water?' Will asked, smiling slightly. 'I'm a bit thirsty.'

Jack grinned and nodded. He stood and swaggered over to the dresser in the corner, picking up a pitcher of water. He poured Will a glass and came back, handing it to the younger man.

'Thank you,' he mumbled and chugged the glass down. 'Where's the crew?' he asked when he'd finished it.

'Anchored nearby,' Jack explained. 'Me, Gabe, Mr Gibbs and Anamaria came ashore with yeh. We didn't wanna draw any attention.' He sighed suddenly and leaned back, rubbing his face roughly.

'Jack?' Will asked, sensing that something was wrong.

'We didn't exactly manage to get into town without being noticed,' the captain admitted.

'Someone saw us?' Will asked, his heart skipping a beat. 'Who? Was it Norrington?'

''Course not,' Jack chuckled. 'We wouldn't be sitting here if it was. Yer a pirate now, remember?'

'So...?'

'Miss Elizabeth,' Jack said just before the door opened.

Will and Jack both turned to see Elizabeth Swann standing in the doorway, a tray of food balanced on one hand. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw Will.

'You're awake,' she breathed out and hurried in, the bowl and spoon she was carrying rattling on the tray. She shoved it into Jack's hands, and then Jack out of his seat, the pirate grumbling as he stumbled to his feet. 'How are you?' Elizabeth asked. She picked up one of Will's hands and squeezed it tightly between her own.

Will just stared from his hand to Elizabeth's face and then to Jack.

Jack shrugged one shoulder and put the tray on the table.

'The doctor wanted to talk to you, Jack,' Elizabeth told the captain, giving him a sharp look.

Jack rolled his eyes but muttered, 'Be back in a minute,' and looked at Will before leaving the room. Thankfully he left the door open, but Will still didn't feel all that comfortable being alone with Elizabeth.

'How are you feeling?' Elizabeth asked again.

'Okay,' Will said, 'a little sore.' He remembered how much pain he'd been in before passing out, and found his healing wound aching yet bearable. 'What are you doing here, Elizabeth?'

'I saw Jack and a few other pirates- Anamaria, I think her name is?' When Will nodded, she continued. 'I was taking a walk along the docks and I followed them.'

'You shouldn't have done that, Elizabeth,' Will sighed. Her curiosity had always gotten her into trouble.

'But then I would never have seen you again,' Elizabeth said. 'Unless that's what you wanted?' she then demanded.

'What? No!' Will denied. Although, if he _hadn't _ever seen Elizabeth again, he wouldn't have been too broken up about it. He'd made a decision to leave her, after all. It was _Jack _that he couldn't bear to be apart from. 'You just shouldn't follow pirates,' Will continued, 'it's dangerous.'

'Nonsense,' Elizabeth snorted. 'I've fought with pirates and I've fought against pirates. Besides, you're one now; how hard can it be?'

Will rolled his eyes. Elizabeth _had _proven that she was a strong woman and a good fighter, Will wouldn't deny that. But he now knew just how much work went into being part of a pirate crew, and he knew what was expected from every man- and woman- on board.

Elizabeth didn't.

She hadn't had to scrub a deck, or survive off of half-rotten food, or fight for her own safety as well as that of the crew's. Before, when she'd been kidnapped by Barbossa, she'd been safe because they needed her alive. She'd only been fighting for herself, really, just waiting for someone to come rescue her. She had no idea how hard and dangerous being a pirate was.

'So,' Elizabeth broke the silence, 'you've joined Jack's crew? Does he still have the _Black Pearl_?'

'Yes,' Will nodded.

'How long have you been with him?' Elizabeth asked. There was some odd emotion in her voice, but Will didn't know what it was.

'I've only been with Jack for about... two or so weeks,' Will said, adding the time he'd been unconscious to the days he'd sailed aboard the _Pearl_. 'I was in Tortuga for a while before that.'

'Tortuga?' Elizabeth frowned, unfamiliar with the name.

'It's a pirate port a few days' sail from here,' Will explained. 'I bought passage on a merchant ship and had it drop me off. I knew that Jack made port in Tortuga sometimes so I waited there for him.'

Elizabeth nodded and look down at their joined hands. Will took the opportunity to study her. She was wearing an expensive dress in green and gold, her breasts pushed together and held tight with a corset. Her hair was done up and fell past her face in ringlets, and her make-up was flawless yet soft. In few words, she looked absolutely beautiful.

And Will found that he still wasn't attracted to her. He'd take Jack's tanned face, dirty clothes, and gold-capped grin over Elizabeth any day. Maybe Will's life would have been a little easier if he'd felt attracted to women, but he wouldn't change himself for the world.

'You're engaged,' Will blurted when he spotted the ring on Elizabeth's ring finger. The stone was large but not gaudy, a diamond Will thought, set into a simple gold band. It suited the other jewellery Elizabeth wore; a simple gold chain with a small silver pendant around her neck, and golden earrings that dangled either side of her face.

'Yes,' Elizabeth said, her face stern. 'Did you think I would wait for you?'

'No!' Will half-shouted. 'Of course not, Elizabeth. I didn't want you to wait for me.'

Elizabeth sniffed. 'I'm a well sort-after lady, after all,' she said, 'and even though my former fiancé ran off, I was still wanted.'

'Of course,' Will mumbled. 'Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I know that you were planning the wedding, but I... I just couldn't.'

'Couldn't what?' Elizabeth demanded. 'Stay on land, or stay with me?'

'Either,' Will admitted, meeting her light brown eyes with his own. 'I still love you Elizabeth, you must believe me. But it... it's not the way that, say, _Norrington _loves you. You were my best friend, and I would still do anything for you. But I couldn't trap you in a loveless marriage. We both would have been miserable. And I missed the sea, the _Pearl_, and Jack.'

'We wouldn't have been miserable,' Elizabeth tried. 'And we could have gone on voyages. We could have visited England or other countries.'

'That wouldn't have helped,' Will sighed. 'Please believe me when I say that my leaving was the best thing that could have happened to us. I'm happy now.'

'With Jack,' Elizabeth muttered.

'Yes, with Jack,' Will nodded, ignoring her tone. 'And you're happy too, aren't you?' he added, gesturing at her engagement ring.

'I suppose,' Elizabeth murmured. 'He's a good man, James.'

Will nodded. He'd assumed that it was Norrington who'd asked her to marry him. Despite the age difference- Will knew that Norrington was at least sixteen years older than Elizabeth- he was a good man. At least to the law-abiding folk, and Governor Swann, Norrington was a good man. He'd be able to provide for Elizabeth and love her.

'He'll take care of you,' he said aloud.

'He won't run off to join a pirate crew,' Elizabeth retorted.

Will sighed but didn't say anything. He hadn't realised that Elizabeth would be this angry with him. Neither of them had been happy when Will had still resided in Port Royal. She'd been busy with wedding preparations, Will with staring forlornly at the sea. He'd been late for or missed almost every date they'd had, as well as whatever dinner or function Governor Swann had invited him to. Elizabeth had put on a brave face when in front of a crowd, but alone she'd glared at Will or looked sad. Their lives were better this way, and soon Elizabeth would realise that.

'Will-' Elizabeth began, but Jack- _thankfully_- chose that moment to burst noisily back into the room. Will breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the captain, who winked before turning his dark eyes on Elizabeth.

'Isn't yer fiancé wondering where yeh are?' Jack demanded.

Elizabeth scowled but stood, finally letting go of Will to smooth her hands down her dress. 'You're due your medicine, Will,' she said, ignoring Jack. 'I'll be back soon.'

Jack poked his tongue out at her when her back was turned, and Will had to stifle a giggle as she left.

'Alright, love?' Jack asked as soon as they were alone.

'I'm fine,' Will smiled. 'My side hurts a bit, but that's to be expected.'

'And Elizabeth?' Jack inquired, re-taking the seat Elizabeth had forced him from.

'She's upset,' Will sighed, 'but I think it's more because I abandoned her than anything else. We don't love each other. She'll soon accept that and move on.'

'She has already, love,' Jack said. 'Or didn't yeh see the rock on her finger?'

'Norrington,' Will chuckled. 'I wish him luck.'

'He'll need it,' Jack snickered. His face softened out and he gathered his hair back from his face; braids, dreadlocks, and free strands all disappearing to leave his stubbly jaw and smooth, tanned neck free for Will's eyes to gaze upon. The blacksmith swallowed thickly and pressed his hand back to his side. Maybe the pain would help him focus. 'I was worried, William,' Jack admitted, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

'I'm sorry,' Will murmured, eyes leaving Jack's neck to settle on his face.

'It's not yer fault,' Jack shook his head. 'Yeh were trying to save me.'

'You didn't get hurt, did you?' Will asked.

Jack shook his head again. 'A few cuts and bruises; nothing serious,' he admitted. He smiled softly and reached forward, brushing Will's hand with his own. Will swallowed thickly. 'I'm glad yer alright.'

'M-Me too,' Will murmured.

'I thought I'd lost yeh a few times there,' Jack continued. 'Dunno what I woulda done with meself.'

'You'd have been fine,' Will chuckled hesitantly.

'No, I really wouldn't have,' Jack shook his head. 'Haven't been the same since I first met yeh.'

'What do you mean?' Will asked in confusion. Jack was acting strange; his face was soft, his eyes too, and his thumb kept stroking Will's knuckles.

Jack's smile widened. 'I had a whole plan,' he admitted, 'I was gonna build up to it, yeh know?'

'N-No,' Will stuttered.

The older man leaned forward, his face suddenly in Will's, and his fingers wrapped around Will's own. 'I was gonna let yeh get comfortable aboard _Pearl _before I did anything. But then yeh were hurt, and I realised that we don't have forever. We're pirates, love, and any day could be our last.'

'O... kay,' was all Will could think of to say.

'Yeh get what I'm saying, love?' Jack asked.

Will shook his head.

Jack chuckled. 'Yeh unlike anyone I met before. Yeh completely ruined me for other people, Willie. Yer all I can think about when yer around; everything else just flies out of me head. Broke me heart when yeh stayed with Elizabeth. Then it fixed itself when I saw yeh in Tortuga.'

'Jack,' Will breathed heavily, and his eyes dropped to Jack's lips- _so close_- before darting back up again. 'What are you saying?'

Jack rolled his eyes. 'I'm saying I have feeling for yeh, lad!' he near-shouted.

Will's eyes widened. 'What?'

'I'm close to falling in love with yeh,' Jack said.

'You... what?' Will gaped. 'R-Really?' he asked, not yet willing to let hope flare in his chest. 'This isn't a trick, is it? Because I'm injured and you feel sorry for me?'

Jack bounced forward, suddenly much closer than before, and the blacksmith leaned back. 'Now see, William, what yer sayin' doesn't make sense, really,' Jack said. ''Cause if it were a trick, then I'd be trickin' yeh to get yeh into bed, which means that I'd have to have _some _sort of feeling's for yeh, 'cause I wanna fuck yeh, so really the trick wouldn't be a trick, it'd be a fact, savvy?'

Will blinked rapidly, trying to understand just what the hell Jack was saying. But eventually he just sighed and looked down. 'Jack-' He cut himself off when Jack's rough fingers grabbed his chin, forcing the younger man to meet Jack's dark eyes.

'It ain't a trick, love,' Jack said, smiling warmly.

Will's eyes widened. 'It isn't?'

'Nah,' Jack chuckled. And with that, he leaned forward and sealed his mouth over Will's.

It was... _wow_, Will thought, his eyes sliding shut. Jack's lips were warm and dry, and his tongue- _oh God, his tongue_- tasted like rum as it dove into Will's mouth. It was unlike any kiss Will had had before. But then again, he'd only ever kissed Elizabeth, and those had been a chaste press of lips against lips when the two could get away with it. Jack didn't kiss softly or hesitantly like Elizabeth did; his mouth was firm against Will's, and his tongue licked against Will's all it wanted. His fingers were warm and calloused as they gently let go of Will's chin to stroke along his jaw.

'_Oh_,' Will breathed heavily when Jack pulled back, but he didn't go far; he immediately dove back in for another kiss, and Will groaned. He tried to wrap an arm around Jack's neck but had forgotten about his injury, and hissed when the stitches pulled beneath his bandage.

'Easy, love,' Jack murmured against his mouth.

'I'm okay,' Will said, his voice slightly hoarse. 'Come back?' he asked.

Jack chuckled. 'I ain't going anywhere, Willie.' He brushed his lips back against Will's, but kept the kiss gentle and chaste this time, not wanting the blacksmith to injure himself any further. Will wanted Jack's tongue back, but would settle for this; anything was better than not having Jack's lips at all. 'I've cared about yeh for a long time, Will,' Jack admitted as they kissed.

'Me too,' Will hummed when they broke apart to catch their breath. 'I mean, I've cared about _you_,' he corrected.

Jack laughed again. 'I know. Soon as we get back on-board we're moving yer stuff to me cabin, savvy?'

'Only if I'm the only one warming your bed,' Will said. 'Or any other bed you occupy.'

'Why would I need anyone else when I've got _you_?' Jack asked.

'So... no whores?' Will asked hopefully, snagging his fingers on Jack's shirt.

Jack smiled at him, the gesture reaching his eyes. 'No whores,' he agreed.

Will grinned and tugged Jack back down for another kiss.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Will had no idea how long they kissed for, but his lips were swollen and his side hurt from leaning up. Jack was half atop him, and Will was hoping he'd crawl right onto the bed and... and something, Will really had no idea what he was doing. He just wanted to be closer; he wanted to drown in _Jack_. Before any of that could happen, there was a scream, and Jack was suddenly gone, Will's lips feeling the loss like an ache.

'Miss Elizabeth,' Jack said, sounding breathless, and Will turned to see Elizabeth in the doorway. She had one hand to her heart and her eyes were wide, darting from Will to Jack and back again. 'This isn't what it looks like,' Jack tried. Will had no idea what it _did _look like, or what Jack was trying to make it look like, or... his stomach hurt.

'Y-Y-You're a sodomite!' Elizabeth gaped. 'You've turned my Will into a sodomite!'

'Ah...' Jack whistled and clapped his hands together. 'He ain't exactly _your _Will now, is he?'

'What have you done to him?' Elizabeth shouted. 'The Will I knew would never, ever think to lie with a man like he does a woman!'

'He doesn't... lie with women, if yeh catch me drift,' Jack grinned cheekily.

Elizabeth apparently didn't appreciate the gesture. She pointed a finger at Jack as she hissed, 'You dirty, rotten pirate! You've ruined everything!'

'What'd I do?' Jack demanded. He half expected to get slapped; all women slapped him when they glared like that.

'You took Will away from me!'

'Oi, no, _wait_,' Jack argued. 'Willie here was the one who broke me outta prison, and _he _was the one who went to Tortuga looking for me. I never did anything.'

'You warped his mind,' Elizabeth hissed, 'until he thought that... that you two _doing things _together was okay!'

'Ain't nothing wrong with men loving other men, sweetheart,' Jack shrugged. 'Yeh'd best get used to that. Not everybody's led as sheltered a life as you.'

'No,' Elizabeth shook her head. 'It's wrong and _horrid _and you've spoiled Will.'

'I'm not spoiled,' Will huffed, finally speaking up. 'Elizabeth, Jack and I, we...'

'Are in love and gonna get married and sail the seven seas together!' Jack declared.

'Not helping,' Will growled at his captain, and it was followed by a hiss when his stomach flared in pain again.

Jack frowned in worry and hurried over, pushing Will's hand aside to inspect the bandage. 'Yeh okay, love?'

'Don't call him _love_!' Elizabeth shrieked. The two pirates looked up, and Will's eyebrows climbed. Elizabeth was breathing heavily and seemed near to fainting.

'Are you okay?' Will asked.

'_No_!' Elizabeth hissed. 'Pirates! Sodomites!' She suddenly turned and raced away, continuing to shout those two words from the top of her lungs. Will blinked and then grunted when Jack grabbed him.

'That's our cue, love,' Jack quipped, pulling the sheets back. 'Come on; up, up, up.'

'Okay, easy,' Will complained, but got out of bed. Jack helped him dress in his own trousers, stockings and boots, but his bloody shirt and tunic had both been thrown away. Jack had just tightened the straps on his boots when Mr Gibbs appeared.

'What in blazes is going on?' he demanded.

'Miss Elizabeth didn't like the sight of me kissing her former fiancé,' Jack quickly explained.

'_Finally_,' Gibbs sighed, drawing both their gazes. 'I meant about the kissing,' the first mate explained, 'not about Miss Elizabeth finding out.'

'Get down to the dock and tell Anamaria and Gabe that we're leaving,' Jack ordered.

Gibbs saluted, 'Aye, aye, Captain,' and disappeared.

'Come on, love,' Jack said. He slung one of Will's arms around his neck and wrapped one of his own around the blacksmith's waist before grabbing his hat and then pulling Will towards the door. 'I know it hurts,' he said when Will started whimpering, the journey down the stairs making his side ache, 'but we gotta get outta here before Miss Elizabeth brings His Royal Majesty's finest down on our heads.'

'I know, I know,' Will grunted through grit teeth. 'I'm going as fast as I can.'

They eventually stumbled into what Will realised was the front room of a doctor's practice. The doctor himself was sitting behind a desk in the corner and blinked up at them from behind round-rimmed spectacles. His hair- once brown, now greying- barely covered the top of his head, and there was grey-black stubble thick on his face. His doctor's coat was old and shabby, but had been patched up with a sure hand.

'Doctor Arthur Lawrence,' Jack said when he spotted the man. 'Do you have the courage and bravery to sail the seas with a hodgepodge group of filthy pirates hell bent on looting and pillaging as many ships, ports, and islands as possible, while surviving on rotten and mouldy food when we don't have access to fresh stuff, and suffering through hunger pains to patch together and keep our shoddy bastard of a crew alive?'

Doctor Lawrence blinked. 'What?'

'Do you wanna join the crew?' Will sighed.

'Oh,' Doctor Lawrence blinked again, '_oh_. Well...'

'See, the thing is, my ex-fiancée just went running out of here,' Will said, 'and you might have heard her shouting about pirates and sodomites.'

'Which means that _you_, my dear doctor, are gonna be answering to the British Navy when they come looking for sodomising pirates,' Jack said.

'And we thought that you might want to avoid all of that, and starvation when your practice inevitably goes under, by joining us,' Will added.

'Now, as in _right _now,' Jack said, ''cause we kinda have to leave.'

'Uh...' Doctor Lawrence sighed. 'Okay, fine. I suppose I don't have much of a choice. Give me a minute.'

Jack and Will fidgeted restlessly by the door, Jack looking through it and the windows for any sign of the Navy. When Lawrence finally joined them again he had two heavy bags in his hands and nodded at them.

'I grabbed what medical supplies I have as well as clothing. Let's go.'

He led the way with Jack barking directions, the captain busy keeping Will on his feet and moving as quickly as possible. The people around them moved aside when they passed, and most seemed to be whispering to each other. Will wondered if Elizabeth had passed this way, still screaming about sodomites.

'That's it, Willie, just a little farther,' Jack huffed next to him.

'Sorry I'm so slow,' Will apologised, one hand pressed to his bandaged side.

'Yeh'll make it up to me later,' Jack chuckled.

Will felt his face heat up and his stomach squirm pleasantly. He wondered just _how _he'd make it up to Jack.

'Captain Sparrow!'

Will looked up to see Anamaria, Mr Gibbs, and Gabe standing on the dock.

'Hurry up!' Anamaria shouted again. 'Navy's already been past, but we managed teh bullshit 'em!'

Gabe hurried up the wharf and helped Jack get Will down and into the lifeboat. Lawrence and Anamaria ended up having to sit on the doctor's bags while Will leaned heavily against Jack's side, his entire body aching and exhausted from the short trip. Mr Gibbs and Gabe untied the boat and pushed away from the dock, immediately going for the oars. With one each, they started rowing, soon putting distance between them and Port Royal.

'Look!' Doctor Lawrence shouted.

The others all looked up to see men dressed in red and white rushing about the dock and shouting at each other.

'Do you think they'll follow us?' Will asked tiredly.

'Maybe,' Jack said, 'if they believe Miss Elizabeth. But we'll get to _Pearl _before they can set sail, and we'll be gone in no time.'

Will just nodded and closed his eyes. He jumped when he was suddenly jostled and peeled them back open.

'We're here, love,' Jack said.

'What?' Will frowned, looking around. His eyes widened when he saw that they'd pulled up alongside the _Pearl_.

'Yeh fell asleep,' Jack said. 'Come on, this is gonna be tough on yeh.'

It was. Will's stitches had re-opened by the time he slumped onto the deck, and Jack, Gabe and Doctor Lawrence all hurried him into Jack's cabin. As the crew dragged the lifeboat up and pulled anchor, Doctor Lawrence busied himself with re-stitching Will's wounds, cleaning them, and then bandaging them. By the time he was done Will was close to falling asleep- or falling unconscious, either one- and could barely focus on what Doctor Lawrence and the others were saying.

'It's alright,' Jack said, and the bed beside the blacksmith dipped as he sat. 'Yeh can sleep if yeh want.'

'Don't wanna sleep,' Will mumbled, 'wanna talk.'

''Bout what?' Jack asked.

Will smiled when he felt Jack's hand brush his hair back from his sweaty face. 'About us,' he said.

'Got all the time in the world, Will,' Jack told him. 'We're sailing to Tortuga to rest and stock up on food.'

'I thought we had enough food from the _Muddy Waters_?' Will asked, and then yawned.

'We'll talk about it later,' Jack said. 'Just rest.'

Will mumbled something, but Jack kissed the words away. And then he was asleep, a smile on his face.

{oOo}

When Will next woke it was nightfall, the sky beyond the windows in Jack's cabin dark and cloudy. He could vaguely hear a few pirates out on deck, but it was mostly quiet. Will sat up and rubbed a hand over his face groggily. He felt weaker than he had the first time he'd woken; the trip to the _Pearl _must have really taken it out of him.

He realised he was alone when he looked around, but there was a candle burning brightly on the table by the bed, and there was a plate of what appeared to be chicken, bread, and cheese, as well as a mug of water. Will took a drink first before eating, and found all the food fresh and tasty; someone must have stocked up while Will was unconscious.

He was halfway through his food when the door opened, and Will looked up to see Jack. He was soaked to the skin and Will frowned as he swallowed. 'What happened to you?' he asked.

Jack jolted and then smiled when he realised Will was awake. 'It was raining earlier,' he said, 'yeh must've still been asleep.'

'Mm,' Will hummed.

'We're about a day outta Tortuga,' Jack said as he went across to one of the many dressers he owned. He pulled his wet jacket, waistcoat and shirt off as he went, and a piece of chicken almost lodged itself in Will's throat when he set eyes on Jack's bare skin. 'The Navy shouldn't follow us, but we're being swift just in case.'

'O... kay,' Will murmured, head tilted as Jack pulled off his trousers, and then- 'Oh _God_.'

Jack looked over his shoulder and grinned wickedly when he realised that the blacksmith was watching him undress. 'Enjoying yerself?' he asked, and chuckled when Will blushed and busied himself with his plate. Jack didn't say anything until he was wearing comfortable sleeping trousers and a baggy, well-used shirt. 'Yeh can look, yeh know,' he said and sat on the bed beside Will. 'Now that we're together and all.'

'A-Are we?' Will asked, fiddling with a lump of bread.

''Course we are,' Jack said, then frowned. 'Unless yeh don't wanna be?'

'No, of course I do!' Will said quickly. 'I just... I wasn't sure what... _this_, is.'

'I'd marry yeh if it were legal,' Jack said. Will's eyes widened. 'I might anyway. I'm Captain, ain't I? I can marry us if I wish.'

'You... wish to marry me?' Will asked slowly.

Jack nodded. 'I already said I was close to loving yeh. Just gotta see yeh naked to seal the deal, I reckon.' There was no doubt in Jack's mind that once he'd tasted the lad's flesh- _properly_- he'd be completely gone. He was almost there, he just needed that little bit extra.

Will flushed an extremely unflattering shade of red, but Jack found it adorable anyway.

'I didn't know that you... fancied men,' the blacksmith mumbled.

'I fancy anyone gorgeous enough,' Jack shrugged. 'And as I've said before; you're pretty, fair William.'

'I'm not pretty!' Will said, but he was smiling, and Jack grinned in response. 'So, uh... just you and me, right?' Will asked hesitantly. 'You won't be bringing anyone else aboard? Or warming any whore's bed when we make port?'

'I already told yeh,' Jack rolled his eyes, 'I don't need anyone but _you_.'

'And what if you get bored of me?' Will asked.

'Ain't gonna happen, love,' the captain shook his head. 'But tell yeh what.' He shifted up the mattress and grabbed one of Will's hands, squeezing his fingers between his own. 'If, on the rare chance, we get bored of each other, we tell each other. That way if any bed warming goes on, we'll at least know. Sound alright to you?'

Will nodded and squeezed Jack's fingers back. He was a bit worried that Jack would grow bored; after all, he was just a blacksmith, and he had no knowledge of carnal relations. He'd try his best, though, and enjoy what he had with Jack while he could.

'Okay,' he finally agreed aloud, and Jack smiled.

'I'll show yeh what yer worth, Willie,' Jack told him. 'Yeh've been under-appreciated yer whole life. Ol' Captain Jack'll change that.'

'If you say so,' Will chuckled.

'Finish yer dinner,' Jack ordered, patting Will's covered leg. 'Gotta get strong again. Doc says yeh'll be bed-ridden fer at least two weeks.'

'Two weeks?' Will groaned. 'But I-'

'None of that,' Jack interrupted, wagging a finger at him. 'Yeh just rest, alright? Yeh'll be back on yer feet in no time.'

Will sighed but nodded and went back to his dinner, slipping chicken and cheese between two chunks of bread and eating. Jack munched on an apple and drank rum, the two silent as they ate.

Will couldn't help but smile as Jack bustled about the cabin, studying maps and tossing things aside. He was in Jack's cabin, in Jack's _bed_, where he'd wanted to be since he'd found the pirate again. Now all he had to do was get healthy, and then... well, hopefully Jack would show him what to do then.

'What are yeh thinking about, William?' Jack asked.

'What?' Will said, blinking back to himself.

'Yer looking devious over there,' Jack grinned. 'Thinking naughty thoughts, Mr Turner?'

Will blushed and threw a lump of bread at the captain. 'Shove off,' he muttered. Jack just laughed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I like Elizabeth; there are parts of her character that I DON'T like, but for the most part she's okay. But I wanted to at least have some type of "bad guy" in this story, and I'm thinking that someone who's lived a life like Elizabeth's- with wealth, power, and a father who protects her from most of the world- wouldn't look too kindly on gay people, especially when it's her former fiancé doing the gaying. And she's never really liked Jack; at least that's what I thought while watching the movies. So, yeah... sorry if you like Elizabeth, but she probably won't be "changing her spots" as they say.

Thanks for the reviews and continued support, I really appreciate it :)

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Will was bored. He hadn't been this bored since he was six and had fallen very, very ill. His mother had cried herself to sleep every night worrying that Will would die, and he vaguely remembered his father returning from his pirating to stay with him. When Will had finally gotten better his dad had left again, and his mother had tried to feed him his body-weight in soup every day.

Will wasn't that sick now, just injured, but he was still bored. They'd arrived in Tortuga a week previously, and Will's stomach still ached at the end of every day. He felt mostly okay unless he overexerted himself, and when he did Jack was quick to bustle him back into bed and try and feed him soup or bread. Jack was a bit like Mrs Turner that way, Will thought fondly. Nobody had worried about him this much and this constantly since his mother.

'Please tell Jack that I can go outside,' Will said when Arthur Lawrence- now better known as Doc or Artie thanks to Jack's crew- came by to check on his wounds.

Most of the crew were alternating between the ship and port, some with enough doubloons left to drink and sleep their nights away in the Tortugan bars and whorehouses. Anamaria had the most, of course, thanks to betting on Will. But apparently Mr Gibbs had won the bet concerning when Will and Jack would get together, so he was enjoying as much rum as he could buy at _The Grubb_.

'You should be okay to go ashore, lad,' Artie said as he inspected Will's wound- or _wounds_, he should say, seeing as how he'd been stabbed twice. 'But nothing too strenuous,' he added, looking at Will with stern eyes.

'As if Jack would let me actually _do _anything,' Will muttered.

'I'm surprised he's kept his hands to himself,' Artie quipped. 'I've seen the way he looks at you.'

Will felt his face heat up and stared at his lap as he said, 'And...?'

'And what?' Artie asked.

'How do you feel about that?' Will tried.

Artie chuckled. 'You mean, do I have a problem with it?' Will nodded. 'Not at all, lad,' the doctor said. 'Ain't my cup of tea, if you understand, but I've never really believed in God, or the law to be frank. Lay with and love who you want, as long as everyone involved is consenting.'

Will frowned. 'How many people could possibly be involved?'

'You really are a virgin,' Artie chuckled.

'Yes, very funny,' Will grumbled.

'It's alright, lad,' Artie smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. 'You're young.'

'I'm only twenty-one,' Will said, 'how experienced do people expect me to be?'

'Pirates are all experienced in a number of things,' Artie shrugged, re-bandaging Will's wounds. 'And they'll take the piss out of you for anything. If it wasn't you being a virgin and being enamoured with our Captain, it'd be about something else. Don't take it to heart, lad.'

'I know; they all tease each other all the time,' Will said. 'I just wish they'd find something else to tease me about. I'm sick of getting called pretty.'

Artie snickered but didn't say anything. He loved women himself, but even he could admit that the blacksmith was pretty. He felt sorry for anyone who tried to tell the lad that, though; he'd only known the men for about two weeks, but he knew that Jack'd run through anyone who dared touch his boy.

'All done, my boy,' Artie said and patted Will again. 'I'll go tell our Captain that you can take a walk outside, as long as you rest if you get sore. And be back by dinner; you've gotta eat regularly to keep your strength up.'

'Yes, Doc,' Will said and watched the older man leave. He smoothed out his blankets and checked the dressing around his wound. The bandages were an off-white colour, and Will assumed that they'd been washed and re-used, which was understandable; Artie didn't have access to new instruments and bandages now that he was aboard the _Pearl_, but he made do with what he had and what he could buy in Tortuga.

Will had apologised for strong-arming the doctor into coming with him and Jack, but the older man had brushed him aside; he'd needed a change of scenery, as Port Royal had apparently grown tiring. Artie had lived there for half of his life and hated the Navy with a passion since a few crooked sailors had robbed him and beaten him into fixing up their wounds on more than one occasion. He was more than happy coming aboard the pirate ship, especially since there was always plenty of rum around. Artie liked rum, like most men Will had met in the past year.

Jack's cabin door opened and the man himself walked in, followed by Gabe, who was carrying what appeared to be a basket.

'What's going on?' Will asked.

'According to the good doctor, yeh need some fresh air,' Jack said. He didn't look happy about it, but his face softened when Will grinned, clearly delighted that he was finally going to be let outside. 'We're going ashore for a little bit,' Jack continued, 'as long as yeh promise to behave yerself.'

Will rolled his eyes. 'I think we have to worry about _you _more than me.'

'Me?' Jack huffed. 'What'd I ever do?'

'What _haven't_ you done?' Will quipped. He threw his blanket back and hopped out of bed- slowly, because Jack still looked upset about the whole thing- and grabbed his socks and boots. He pulled them on as Jack and Gabe had a hushed conversation, which ended when Will stood.

'Good to see you getting better, Bucket,' Gabe said.

Will smiled at him. 'I'm fine,' he said, 'I'll be out scrubbing the deck in no time.'

'With the Captain staring at your arse as you do,' Gabe laughed, making Will blush.

'He didn't really, did he?' he asked. One look at Jack's face- trying for innocence, and failing spectacularly- was all the answer he needed. 'Right,' Will cleared his throat. 'Jack?'

'Off we go, Willie,' Jack smiled. He took the basket from Gabe and the three pirates headed out onto the deck. Gabe stayed behind while Will and Jack walked down the gangplank and onto the dock, passing pirates walking to and from their own ships, as well as men working.

'Where are we going?' Will asked.

'Not far,' was all Jack would say.

Will huffed but fell silent, instead choosing to just enjoy the fresh sea breeze on his face, and the clear blue sky above. Jack's arm brushing against his own as they walked was pretty nice too, Will decided with a smile.

They hadn't done much since their first kiss... or kisses, Will supposed. Jack had wanted to- Will could see it in his eyes- but every time their kisses got deeper, more consuming, Jack pulled back and sighed. Will knew it was because of his injury, but he wasn't in _that _much pain... not anymore, at least. He wasn't up for anything _too _physical, but he'd like a bit more kissing, and maybe Jack could take his shirt off, and then Will would take _his _shirt off, then their skin would be pressed together, and-

'What are yeh thinking about, love?' Jack's voice interrupted, and Will blushed, staring at the ground. Thank God Jack couldn't read minds. 'Something dirty?' Jack snickered. Then again, Jack knew him well; it might as well be mind-reading.

'Maybe,' Will admitted, making Jack look up in surprise.

'Alright, then,' Jack chuckled. 'Come on.' He grabbed Will by the wrist and tugged him through side streets and main streets, bypassing pirates and sailors, whores and drunks, until they were climbing up a steady hill.

'Jack?' Will questioned. He was beginning to feel tired; over a week in bed doing very little made the short walk rather taxing on Will.

'Just a little further,' Jack promised. They walked for ten or fifteen minutes more before Jack finally stopped. He smiled brightly at Will and said, 'Turn around, love.'

Will did, and his breath caught in his throat. They were standing on part of the mountains that surrounded Tortuga, and from their vantage point they could see for miles and miles out to sea. The port of Tortuga was nestled beneath them at the base of the mountains, the view half-covered by trees and rocks. Will hadn't realised they'd walked that far.

The view was rather breathtaking, and Will smiled as he eyed the _Pearl_- the only black ship- in dock, surrounded by others both large and small. If he squinted he could make out people moving below, but Jack chose that moment to tug on Will's loose shirt.

'Sit down and have a rest,' Jack ordered. 'Don't wanna push yerself too hard, do yeh?'

'I'm fine,' Will brushed his worry aside, but sat anyway. He watched as Jack pulled food and rum from the basket; loaves of fresh bread, paper bags filled with chicken, other meat, and fruit. It was some of the best food Will had seen since the dinners he'd attended at Governor Swann's, and his mouth watered. 'Jack,' he said when the older man pulled a torn towel from the basket so he could put the food on it, 'is this a picnic?'

'Been on many picnics?' Jack asked with a half-smile. 'Some strapping young lad taking you out into the hills of Port Royal?'

'First of all; what hills?' Will demanded, making Jack chuckle. 'Second; who would take a simple blacksmith out on a picnic?'

'I would,' Jack said.

Will smiled softly. 'You're not any man, Jack.'

'Damn right I ain't,' Jack grinned.

Will chuckled as he said, 'No; no strapping young lads taking me out. My mum and I used to go on picnics when we lived in England. She'd put aside her work every Friday afternoon so we could relax.' His smile softened as he thought about his mum. 'It was nice,' he finished with a shrug.

'Come on, eat,' Jack said, 'yeh need to be fattened up.'

'I'm fine the way I am,' Will laughed. He _was _hungry, though, so he accepted the chunk of bread Jack ripped off for him, and loaded it with meat and fruit. The first bite was the best and Will hummed, savouring the apple and meat that melted over his tongue as he chewed. Jack opened one of the bottles of rum with his teeth, spitting the cork aside, and took a swig before offering it to Will. 'Cheers,' Will said, nodding the bottle in Jack's direction, and Jack saluted with the pear he'd bitten into.

They mostly ate in silence, only occasionally pointing out something interesting in the landscape or on the horizon. Will giggled when Jack dropped his strawberries, and Jack laughed when Will slopped rum over his front. The captain then licked Will's neck clean, so Will felt that it was well worth it.

When they'd eaten all they could Jack laid back on the grass and dirt. He held one arm out, giving Will the largest doe-eyes the blacksmith had ever seen. Will smiled and made himself comfortable beside the older man, sighing when Jack wrapped a warm, strong arm around him. Will rested his head on Jack's chest and breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of Jack- rum, sweat, and dirt- filling his senses.

'Thank you for this, Jack,' he said.

'No worries, love,' Jack said. 'Yeh deserved an afternoon off.'

'From what? Bed-sitting?' Will asked.

'From having me fuss over yeh,' Jack said. 'I've been annoying yeh, I know.'

Will shifted so that he could look up at the captain, mindful of his wounds. 'I appreciate it, Jack. Nobody's worried about me like this for a long, long time. I'd act the same if you were injured.'

'I damn well hope so,' Jack huffed. 'I want soup in bed and rum held up to me mouth next time I'm injured. Oh, and yeh gotta be naked,' Jack added. 'I demand yeh be naked at all times when I'm injured.'

Will smiled, even as his cheeks heated up. 'Whatever you say, Jack.'

Jack pouted but Will ignored him, letting his head fall back onto Jack's chest. The captain raised the arm wrapped around Will and threaded his fingers through the younger man's hair. The braids Jack had weaved had been undone when Will was injured, but Will had contemplated letting Jack do a few more out of sheer boredom. Plus, it felt nice, Jack's fingers running through his hair. It made him sleepy yet excited at the same time.

'Will?'

'Mm?' Will hummed, his eyes closed.

'Are yeh upset about Miss Elizabeth?'

Will frowned but didn't open his eyes. 'What about her?'

'The way she acted,' Jack continued, 'she wasn't very accepting, love.'

'Not many people will be,' Will tried to shrug, but it was difficult with how he was laying. He settled for tapping at Jack's covered stomach, his fingers smoothing out the creases in Jack's navy blue shirt. 'I didn't think much of sodomites before I met you,' Will admitted. 'My mother was never really religious, but Elizabeth and Governor Swann taught me about God and what they- and others like them- thought was right and wrong. But after living in Tortuga for a while I realised that not everyone thinks that sodomites are sinners who'll go to Hell.'

Will bit his lip, thinking about his next words.

'When I realised how I felt about you, I thought that there couldn't be anything wrong with me. Because how I felt about you made me happy, and I felt safe with you. How could that be wrong?'

Jack's nails dug into Will's scalp and the younger man near purred at the sensation. 'Ain't nothing wrong with it, Willie,' Jack said.

'Mm, I know,' Will slurred, batting his head against Jack's hand.

Jack laughed. 'Yer like a cat.'

'You're always saying you want a cat,' Will reminded him.

'Yeah,' Jack nodded, 'a cat'd take care of the rats on _Pearl_. And something to cuddle when yer busy.'

'Or I can just cuddle you all the time,' Will grinned. 'But I don't suppose the crew would like me hanging off you all day every day.'

'Don't care what the crew thinks,' Jack shrugged. 'I'd like it.'

'I know you would,' the blacksmith chuckled. Jack tugged on his hair and Will huffed but looked up. 'What?'

Jack pressed his lips to Will's, and any annoyance Will felt instantly melted away as he kissed back. Jack shuffled over and Will fell back until his head was resting on Jack's crooked arm, the other raised so that Jack could push Will's hair back and stroke his face. Both of Will's hands went to Jack's shirt, using the cloth to drag Jack as close as possible.

He groaned when Jack's tongue pushed his lips open, and flicked his own against it. He savoured the noises Jack made, the way his body inched closer and closer, as well as his taste, which was sweeter and far more addictive than anything else. Jack tasted like rum, as he usually did, and his breath was warm where it fanned across Will's face.

They only broke apart for air but didn't move very far, both staring at the other as they caught their breath.

'Wow,' Will breathed out.

Jack grinned, the gold caps on his teeth glinting in the sunlight. 'Yeh ever gonna stop saying that?' he asked.

'Dunno,' Will said and licked his lips, smirking when Jack's eyes immediately dropped to his mouth. 'Are you ever going to stop kissing me like that?'

'Never,' Jack stated.

'Then I don't suppose I'll stop, either,' Will said.

Jack chuckled but Will surged forward, quickly swallowing the sound with his mouth. Jack hummed and stroked Will's jaw again, then his neck, his hand slowly moving down, down, down, making Will shake and moan into his mouth. Unfortunately his hand bumped against Will's wound, bandaged beneath his shirt, and the blacksmith hissed, pulling back and breaking the kiss.

'Shit,' Jack said and pressed his hand gently to the wound, 'yeh alright?'

'I'm fine,' Will said. He leaned forward again but the captain turned away. '_Jack_,' Will whined.

'There's plenty of time for us to explore each other,' Jack said. 'No hurry.'

Will groaned and thumped his forehead against Jack's chest. 'When I'm completely healed,' he said, 'we're kissing until neither of us can breathe.' He peered up at Jack from beneath his lashes, and Jack had to fight down another surge of arousal. 'Savvy?' Will said with a grin.

'Cheeky little bastard,' Jack laughed. He flopped back onto the ground, tugging Will with him, and Will sighed as he rested his head against Jack's chest once more. Despite the rude interruption to their kiss, Will decided that the day had been a success.

{oOo}

After three arguments, and one sneaky arse-grab on Will's part, Jack let the younger man go to _The Grubb_, where some of the crew were spending the night drinking. Anamaria was there with Mr Gibbs, Misty, Moon, and Mr Forsyth. They all cheered and waved heartily when they spotted Will and their Captain.

'O' Bucket's on 'is feet again!' Anamaria shouted. 'First drink's on me, lad.'

'Thank you,' Will said, smiling as he took a seat. Jack sat beside him and glared at anyone who tried to get too close.

'Easy, Captain,' Forsyth laughed. 'We'll make sure young Mr Turner's senses aren't offended.'

'I'm not easily offended,' Will rolled his eyes. He nudged Jack. 'Would you stop, please?'

'I gotta make sure everyone knows that yer mine, love,' Jack replied.

'_I _know that I'm yours,' Will huffed. 'And you're mine too, right?'

Jack turned to grin at him and slung an arm around Will's waist. 'Damn right I am,' he whispered into Will's ear, making the blacksmith shiver and lick his lips.

'Oi, not in front of us, pleasing and thanking you,' Moon laughed.

'I wouldn't mind seeing some things,' Anamaria grinned, leaning forward.

'Piss off,' Jack told her. 'Yeh can listen, but yeh can't see anything.'

'What, no!' Will snapped. 'Nobody's seeing _or _hearing anything!'

Jack grinned. 'Wanna bet on that, Willie?'

Will scowled.

'I bet I can make yeh scream real good,' Jack continued.

'You'd have to actually touch me for more than two minutes to make me scream, Jack,' Will said, deadpan.

The gathered crew roared with laughter, and Jack pouted while Will grinned. Will and Jack's rums were delivered by Tabby, who ruffled Will's hair with her free hand. 'Heard ya were injured, laddie.'

'I'm fine,' Will said.

'Oh, yeah, _fine_,' Anamaria rolled her eyes. 'He was just run through with a _sword_.'

'I'm fine,' Will insisted. 'Thank you, Tabby.'

'No worries, lad,' Tabby said. She pointed a large finger at Jack, who blinked up at her. 'Yeh take care of me lad, Captain Sparrow.'

'What?' Jack spluttered. 'He's _my _Will!' he shouted after her, but the woman ignored him. 'See?' Jack rounded on Will. 'Nobody gets it!'

'Everybody gets it,' Anamaria said, 'it's just funny when yeh get all territorial.'

'It is _not_,' Jack grumbled and stuck his face into his rum.

'Please don't get drunk tonight, Jack,' Will begged. 'I'm injured, remember? I don't have the strength to take care of you.'

'I can't even have a drink now!' Jack huffed.

'Yes you can,' Will rolled his eyes. 'Just don't drink so much that you fall over after a few steps.' He smiled and placed a sneaky kiss on Jack's jaw. 'I like the smell of rum,' he reminded the older man.

'When yer better I'm gonna feel yeh up under the table in whatever port we visit,' Jack grumbled.

'Whatever you say,' Will laughed.

{oOo}

Jack didn't get drunk, but he had enough rums to make him handsy. Then again, he used every excuse in the book to touch Will, but luckily Will didn't mind one bit. Anamaria had disappeared with a handsome man some hours ago- and Jack had spent a good hour sulking after Will had called him handsome- while both Moon and Misty had gone off with a prostitute... the _same _prostitute. Will had wondered if that was what Artie was talking about earlier.

That left Will, Jack and Mr Forsyth to head back to the _Pearl_. Mr Gibbs had been passed out when Will and Jack had arrived at _The Grubb_, and Tabby and her husband had promised to keep an eye on him so he wasn't stabbed through the night.

'Yo ho, yo ho...' Jack sang under his breath, an arm wrapped around Will's waist.

'A pirate's life for me,' Will hummed, making Jack grin.

'We pillage, we plunger, we rifle, we loot!' Jack sang.

'Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho,' Will laughed. 'That's your favourite song, isn't it?' he asked.

'Only song worth singing, love,' Jack told him. He had a bottle of rum in his free hand- and he'd been sipping from it for the past hour. Will appreciated that Jack had kept his word and not gotten drunk, so didn't mind when the older man pressed the bottle to his lips and swigged back a large mouthful.

Only, it made _Will _want to touch those lips, so when Jack lowered the bottle he tugged the captain in, crashing their mouths together.

The action made them both come to a sudden stop and Jack groaned, wrapping both arms around Will's waist. Will felt Jack's body press against his own, one long line of _heat_, and grunted against the other man's lips. He threw his arms around Jack's neck to keep him in place and buried one hand in Jack's hair, tugging on braids and dreadlocks and free strands, twisting it all around his fingers to keep Jack from escaping.

Not that Jack did. He just pressed closer and closer until they were stumbling, barely able to keep their feet, and Mr Forsyth shook his head before tapping them both on the shoulder. 'Wanna take that aboard, laddies?' he asked. ''Cause yer about teh go arse-over inteh the water.'

Will groaned but Jack pulled away, not wanting Will to fall into the filthy, oily water that filled the dock. 'Into the captain's cabin with yeh, Mr Turner!' Jack ordered, slapping- and groping- Will's arse.

Will grinned and saluted with an, 'Aye, aye, Captain!' and quickly hurried down the wharf. Jack grinned as he watched him go, eyes taking in Will's long, lean form.

'Whatchya waitin' for, Captain?' Forsyth asked, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

Jack blinked and shook his head. 'Absolutely nothing,' he said and turned to smile at the pirate. 'Have a good night, Mr Forsyth,' he said before hurrying after Will.

Mr Forsyth chuckled as he watched them go.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Gah, I've gone and written another Pirates story! It's currently just over 10,000 words (roughly five chapters) and getting bigger. It won't be as long as this story, and features Jack and Will doing the naughty while Will's married. Also, there's Elizabeth bashing, because apparently that features in all my Pirates stories for some reason. So... yup, just thought I'd share that with you.

Thanks for reading :) And sorry for rambling.

{Dreamer}


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Will and Jack fell onto Jack's- _their_- bed, Jack immediately straddling Will's hips and leaning down to kiss him. Will thanked whatever gods existed for rum, because Jack seemed a bit looser, a bit more willing to touch even though Will was injured.

Will's side throbbed dully, but the pleasure of having Jack atop him drowned it out completely. He arched up to kiss Jack and wrap his arms around Jack's neck, while Jack's hands swept up and down his chest before diving under his shirt.

Groaning into the kiss, Will shivered as Jack's nails scraped across his skin, drawing goosebumps and sending pleasure dancing through the younger man's body. Then they ghosted over his nipples before coming back and rubbing, and Will had never realised that nipples could feel _that _good. He groaned again and his hips came off of the bed of their own accord, rubbing his growing hardness against Jack's arse.

Jack broke the kiss to gasp for breath, and tilted his head, resting his forehead against Will's. 'That's it, Willie,' he mumbled. 'Just like that.'

Will had no idea what he was doing, but it felt good, and Jack seemed to like it. Jack's hands slipped from under his shirt and Will keened at the loss, but opened his eyes when Jack grabbed the blacksmith's hands and set them on his hips.

'Pull me down when you push up,' Jack ordered.

'O-Okay,' Will panted.

Jack nodded and leaned back down, his hands going back up Will's shirt. He fixed his mouth to Will's neck and sucked, nipped, and licked at the skin he found. Will groaned and arched up again, rubbing his trapped erection against Jack's arse. Remembering what Jack had said, Will pulled down on his hips every time he thrust up, and Jack groaned and began to rock back and forth, rubbing himself against the younger man's groin.

'Jack!' Will gasped, his eyes widening as new, fresh pleasure washed through him. He'd never felt anything like it and it was making his toes curl, his skin feel hot and prickly.

Jack grinned against his neck, Will felt it, and bit harder.

'Jack!' Will groaned again and started moving faster. Unfortunately- and Will took it back, he hated every single bloody god out there!- the movement pulled at Will's still healing wound, making the blacksmith wince and go still immediately.

Jack sat heavily atop Will and pulled back, panting, his lips bright red as he looked down through the gloom of the cabin. 'Fuck,' Jack grunted and rolled clear.

'No, Jack!' Will whined. 'Come back, please! I'm okay.'

'No,' Jack sighed, 'I got carried away, love. Sorry.'

'Apologise for stopping,' Will grumbled and rubbed his face.

Jack chuckled and rolled over, curling up around Will and nuzzling his neck. 'Soon, Willie,' he promised, pressing kisses to Will's skin.

'It better be soon, or I'm... I'm...'

'Yer... what?' Jack murmured.

'Something,' Will yawned, suddenly tired, now that Jack wasn't keeping his body buzzing.

Jack chuckled and sat up, and Will watched through half-lidded eyes as the older man got them ready for bed. He even kept his grumblings to a minimum when Jack made him sit to take off his shirt, boots and trousers. He let Will keep his drawers on, and Will stared half-heartedly at the bulge his erection was still making.

'Soon,' Jack repeated, patting Will's hip. 'Now shove over.'

Will did as asked and Jack pulled the blankets up and over them, curling himself back around Will once more. Will felt his eyes droop shut and his breathing already start to even out. Maybe he _had _pushed himself a bit today, but that still didn't mean he was happy. His groin ached just as bad as his stomach, and it was all Jack's fault.

'Hate you,' he complained when Jack rubbed around his bandages softly.

'Do not,' Jack said, and Will knew that he was smiling.

'Do,' Will insisted.

'Go to sleep,' Jack ordered. 'Yeh can hate me in the morning.'

Sleep _did _sound good, so Will yawned and snuggled closer to the captain, letting Jack's warmth and presence lull him to sleep.

{oOo}

Will was alone when he got up, but Jack had left a note. His handwriting was atrocious, and it took Will a good minute to decipher what Jack had written;

_On deck, make sure you eat_

_- Jack_

_P.S. PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! ONLY I'M ALLOWED TO SEE YOU NAKED!_

Will couldn't help but chuckle, and then smile warmly when he saw that Jack had left him a plate of bread and cold eggs. He enjoyed his breakfast before getting up, and his stomach only twinged a little bit, making him smile again; he was well on his way to being back to one-hundred percent.

Will pulled on a dark green shirt, a pair of brown trousers, his socks and boots, and wrapped a short scarf around his hair to keep it from his face. He also grabbed his hat but didn't put it on, instead carrying it as he left Jack's cabin and stepped out onto the deck.

Will guessed that it was mid-morning by the position of the sun, and the _Pearl _was still docked in Tortuga. A few pirates were wandering about the deck as they worked, and Will spied Moon and Misty passed out in the shade of one of the sails.

Mr Gibbs, Mr Forsyth, Mr Gosh and Doctor Artie were playing a board game Will had only ever seen on display at Governor Swann's house, and the blacksmith wandered over to take a look. And he could ask where Jack was, because the captain was nowhere to be seen.

'Hey there, O' Bucket,' Anamaria called, making Will stop halfway across the deck and turn.

'Morning, Anamaria,' he replied.

'I woke up and got back aboard before you even got outta bed,' Anamaria grinned. 'Jack wear yeh out, did he?'

'I wish,' Will complained, too annoyed to feel embarrassed. He and Jack _had _just gotten together, true, but being so close to the other man- and kissing him whenever he could- without feeling some type of relief had left Will all hot and bothered. He didn't even really know what he wanted, just... _something_, something more than what they were doing.

'What's this?' Anamaria perked up. She dropped the rope she was tying and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. 'Yeh mean yer still a virgin?'

Will blushed but nodded.

'Seriously?' the woman asked with wide eyes. 'Yeh mean Jack hasn't bent yeh over _Pearl's _deck and rogered yeh yet?'

'What?' Will spluttered. 'I... I don't even know what that means!' He was getting an idea, though, and wasn't sure how he felt about it.

'Really?' Anamaria laughed when Will nodded again. 'Bloody hell; never thought I'd see Jack take his time.'

'He keeps insisting that I'm too injured to do anything,' Will explained.

Anamaria nodded. 'Huh, he really does love yeh.'

'Do you think so?' Will asked, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

Anamaria gave him a soft smile. ''Course he does, Buck. I've known Jack fer years. He's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you. Give it time and he'll tell yeh himself.'

Will smiled, remembering Jack admitting that he was close to falling for Will. He hadn't been sure that Jack was telling the truth, and he still wasn't. But if Anamaria said that he was, well...

'Go on, lad,' Anamaria said, nodding at Gibbs and the other men. 'Get 'em teh teach yeh how teh play chess. Yer smarter than that lot, and I bet yeh'll beat 'em.'

'Okay...' Will said and turned, once more making his way over to Mr Gibbs, Forsyth, Gosh and Artie. 'Hello,' he said when he reached them.

Gibbs and Gosh were sitting either side of a square board that had light and dark brown squares in a checked pattern painted onto the wood. There were little pieces sitting on individual squares, even more lined up on the sides. Will spied what looked like a castle's tower, a horse, and... maybe some type of religious symbol, because it had a cross on top.

'Mornin', lad,' Gibbs said without looking away from the board, while Gosh just waved a hand.

Forsyth and Artie both smiled at him, while the latter made him sit so he could check his injury.

'What are you playing?' Will inquired, tilting his body to the side and lifting his arms so Artie could unwind his bandages.

'Playing chess, lad,' Gibbs said. 'Don't reckon yeh've ever played before.'

Will shook his head. 'I saw boards similar to that in Governor Swann's house, but I never knew what it was called. I didn't want to ask; Governor Swann already thought I was a peasant.'

Gosh snorted, and Mr Gibbs said, 'Never liked that man. He's too up-tight and thinks the sun shines outta his arse.'

'Maybe it does,' Artie quipped, 'you ever take a look yourself?'

Will, Forsyth, and Gosh all laughed, and Gibbs grumbled and moved a black piece- one of the horses- in an L shape. He planted it on a square occupied by a small white piece and picked it up off the board, dropping it with the other ones that had been removed.

Mr Gosh grinned and immediately moved one of the white castle tower-looking pieces, taking the horse and dropping it off to the side.

'Blast,' Gibbs groaned, 'I'm never gonna win against yeh.'

'Practice makes perfect, Mr Gibbs,' Gosh winked at him.

'Fuck you, Mr Gosh,' Gibbs grumbled.

'Can someone explain to me what's happening?' Will asked.

It took an hour for Gosh, Gibbs, and even Artie to explain all the rules of chess- Forsyth wasn't much help, seeing as how he barely knew the rules himself.

'So these smaller ones are pawns?' Will asked, just to make sure he had them right. Gibbs nodded. 'And then there's two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a king, and a queen.'

'That's right, lad,' Gibbs said. 'Remember that yer queen is yer best piece.'

'But never underestimate a pawn,' Gosh chimed in. 'Our favourite first mate always forgets that and sacrifices them.'

'And our good cook is gonna get a smack teh the jaw if he doesn't shut up!' Gibbs snapped.

Apparently chess was a rough game, because Gibbs looked ready to carry out his threat, while Gosh just grinned, baring his teeth, and dared him to.

'Alright, lads, break it up,' Artie ordered. 'Gosh, why don't you play Mr Turner? You can teach him.'

Gosh looked away from Gibbs and nodded. The first mate moved aside, letting Will sit on the chair he'd dragged up from below deck. Gosh made up the board so that the white pieces were on Will's side.

'White plays first,' Gosh said.

'Okay,' Will hummed. He reached for a pawn and was about to move it when he remembered that the ones in front could move two spots on their first turn. Keeping that in mind he moved the pawn sitting before the bishop on the right sight of the board one square forward.

'You can move 'em forward two squares, lad,' Gosh said, and Will bit back a smile, watching as Gosh moved one of his own forward two spots.

'Oh, right,' he said, feigning ignorance. A few moves later and he'd captured his first piece, one of Gosh's pawns. The cook looked up at him, dark eyebrows raised, and Will grinned cheekily.

'Now I know why the Captain likes you,' Gosh shook his head.

The other pirates grinned as he and Will continued to play.

Jack found Will an hour later, still playing chess, this time against Gibbs. He'd lost every game he'd played against Gosh, not that he cared; he'd made some sneaky moves that had the cook cursing and Gibbs, Forsyth and Artie all laughing.

'What are yeh doing?' Jack asked as he sauntered up behind Will. Will immediately looked up, smiling brightly at the captain, and Jack felt his heart skip a beat. 'Hello, love,' he said and leaned down, planting a kiss on Will's inviting lips.

Will kissed him back, of course, and the two quickly got lost in each other's lips and taste, not breaking apart until Artie nudged Will and said, 'Your turn, lad.'

'Oh,' Will mumbled, he and Jack breaking apart. He looked down at the board, frowned, and then took Gibbs' remaining bishop with his rook. 'Your turn,' he told the first mate before looking back up. 'And _your _turn,' he grinned at Jack.

'I like this game,' Jack announced. He rounded Will and sat himself on the younger man's lap, Will squeaking and blushing. That was soon forgotten, though, like everything was when Jack's tongue was involved.

'Yer turn, Mr Turner,' Gibbs said when he'd made his move. Will, of course, was busy exploring Jack's mouth. 'Anyone else wanna play?' he sighed.

'I will,' Artie laughed. 'But maybe we should move this somewhere else? They're getting a bit loud.'

The other men nodded and gathered the board and pieces, Will and Jack completely unaware as they moaned softly against each other's mouths.

{oOo}

'So where are we going next?' Will asked, his voice a soft murmur. Jack was standing against his back, pressing the younger man against the helm. Jack was trying to teach Will how to steer the _Pearl_, but the lesson had kind of gotten muddied and morphed into Jack rubbing himself against Will. Not that Will was complaining, of course.

'Mm,' Jack hummed, swaying with the gentle rocking of the ship, and making Will's body move with his. 'We need food and such. Probably have to attack another merchant vessel. Should be some pulling outta Port Royal. We can head that way and keep an eye out. If we don't come across anything we'll head back to Port Twelves. Always a vessel coming outta there.'

'Do we have enough food and water to make all those trips?' Will asked.

'Mm,' Jack repeated. 'Just have to keep a close eye on everything. Don't worry yerself with it, love.'

'Okay,' Will said easily, letting himself melt back into Jack. Jack didn't look it, but he was pretty fit, with strong, lean muscles hidden beneath dirty, baggy clothing. Will was looking forward to exploring every inch of Jack's body. 'With my tongue,' he muttered absentmindedly.

'What was that?' Jack asked.

'What?' Will jolted. 'Uh, nothing.'

'No, that was something,' Jack said. One of his hands left Will's hip and pressed up, smoothing over Will's stomach. Will shivered. 'What was that?'

'I was just, uh...' Will took a deep breath and let it out shakily. 'I was thinking about exploring your body,' he admitted, his face flushing, 'with my tongue.'

Jack froze, and Will worried that he'd said something wrong. That was until Jack groaned throatily and buried his face in Will's neck. 'What you _do to me_,' he growled roughly.

'What do I do?' Will asked softly.

'Lots of things, love,' Jack said. He pressed his hips firmly against Will's, and Will groaned when he felt the older man's hardness against his arse. 'Can't yeh feel it?'

'I'd like to feel it without clothing in the way,' Will complained.

Jack sighed. 'If yeh weren't injured I'd have yeh bent over this wheel right now,' he said. Will shivered, half in fear, half in excitement. 'Don't be scared,' Jack said, as though he could hear Will's thoughts. 'I know yer new at this, lad. I'll talk yeh through it, okay?'

'O-Okay,' Will agreed, and took another breath to calm himself. 'I trust you, Jack.'

Jack paused again before suddenly spinning Will around. Will gasped as his back hit the wheel, Jack suddenly in his face. 'Yeh have _no _idea what that means to me, William,' the captain said, his eyes and face and everything about him serious.

Will nodded slowly. 'I know,' he said. He reached up and cupped Jack's jaw, running his thumb over the coarse hairs of Jack's beard. 'I trust you more than anyone.'

They stared at each other for a minute or three, Will had no idea, before Jack's lips were suddenly on his, hard and bruising. Will fell heavily against the wheel and clutched at Jack's coat to keep himself on his feet. Jack pressed against him, their bodies hard and soon rutting. Will groaned and tugged Jack closer, hoping that _this time_ Jack would forget that he was injured and just _do something_.

Jack, of course, chose that moment to pull back.

'Fuck you, Jack Sparrow!' Will shouted.

'You tell him, Bucket!' one of the crew shouted back, which earned cheers and wolf-whistles from the men- and one woman- on deck.

Will groaned and buried his face in Jack's neck. Jack, the bastard, laughed at him.

'Yeh know I trust yeh too, right, Willie?' Jack said when he'd stopped laughing. His forehead was pressed against Will's, and Will had a hard time looking him in the eyes from such close proximity.

'Yes,' he finally said, 'I know you do, Jack. And I appreciate it. Nobody's ever trusted me before.'

'I know,' Jack echoed and leaned in to kiss him again. This time it was soft, and sweet, and Will enjoyed it just as much as the others. If he happened to try and stick his hand down Jack's trousers while they were kissing, well, who was watching?

Anamaria was watching, and she hooted and cheered, forcing Jack to grab Will and tug him into the captain's quarters. Anamaria winked as they went, and Will blushed, even when the door was closed and Jack was on him again.


End file.
